The Fox and the Lion
by ScarletTigress
Summary: When a thick spiritual miasma descends over the entire country side, Watanuki is forced to go to Doumeki for help, but he doesn't realize that the archer's feelings go beyond friendship. In the end, love is more complicated than either boy can imagine.
1. Chapter 1

The Fox and the Lion

By Scarlet Tigress

Chapter 1

A sound startled Doumeki Shizuka out of a deep slumber. At first he was not sure if he had really even heard the noise or if the sound had been part of a dream. His bedroom was not close to the front entrance of the temple and so the knocking was faint…but persistent. The boy glanced at his clock and groaned, it was barely three in the morning. Rap, rap, rap!!! The knocking was unmistakable now. With a sigh, Doumeki rose from his futon and re-tied his robe. Apparently, his parents had gotten back earlier than planned and forgotten their key. Something similar had happened once or twice before with all the traveling his father did to other temples. Sometimes little things like keys got forgotten in the rush to get from one place to another, Doumeki did not really mind. The boy rubbed his eyes as he made his way down the stairs to the front entrance of the temple. The place was really too big to always know for sure where the knocking was coming from, but the front entrance was always the best bet. As he walked towards the sound, Doumeki knew he had guessed correctly and that his parents were knocking on the front door. Stifling a yawn, the archer pulled open the heavy temple door and looked out.

To his utter shock, his late night visitor was not his father and mother, but Watanuki. The pale seer often asked for his help in dealing with paranormal problems, but he had never come to the temple without calling, or by himself. Doumeki's classmate looked both terrified and sick, as if he would pass out any minute from either fear or fever. Watanuki's skin was always fair, but tonight the boy looked so pale that he might have been made of snow. The seer's strangely lovely bicolor eyes burned from reddened sockets as if he had been crying hard for many hours. Doumeki almost gasped in shock but, as usual, the archer firmly held his feelings at bay and only managed to stare.

"How…can you…sleep? Don't…you…feel…it? Its even here, but only a little." Watanuki panted as if he had run a very long way, apparently with a fever, Doumeki thought angrily. The seer was amazingly good at taking care of others and almost incapable of caring for himself. As usual, he kept the anger out of his face even if he could feel it coiling into his belly.

"Feel what?" The archer asked expressionlessly.

"Didn't you at least notice how dark it is? Are you a complete idiot?" Watanuki asked, grinding his teeth in frustration, an angry swath of red beginning to glow in each cheek.

"Its dark. It's the middle of the night." The archer stated crossing his arms.

Watanuki said nothing, but scowled darkly in a way Doumeki had never seen before. The smaller boy's face looked positively livid and the red eyes did nothing to soften Watanuki's fierce look. Doumeki teased Watanuki every day of their lives, but he could not remember the seer ever looking at him with such desperate fury. The smaller boy slowly lifted his hand to cover Doumeki's right eye, the same eye he shared with the seer, who had lost one of his own. Instantly, the night was brighter and the moon's light even illuminated all the cherry trees of the temple courtyard. The archer was now able to see how the world _really_ looked, at least in his own reality. Now Doumeki did gasp. The night, the _real_ night, was not pitch black and cloudy! The gloomy darkness was only something his right eye could see, something not truly part of this world. It was spirit. Te world was filled with a terrifying spiritual pollution strong enough to cover the entire sky. No wonder Watanuki looked like hell.

"Where is Yuko?" The archer asked, trying to keep his shock out of his voice. Watanuki did not seem to notice.

"Gone. Left on business. I called, but she is very far away…worlds away. She told me to come here." Watanuki said, his tired voice slowly losing its anger. The seer was rocking on his feet and looked, again, close to collapse. Doumeki put a steadying hand on his friend's shoulder, noting that Watanuki was damp with sweat even through his clothing.

"What does she want us to do?" The archer asked, his face carefully set to mask his worry.

"Yuko said…stay close to you…the miasma is…is too strong for me. You, probably drive it away, like other…spirits. I can't take it anymore…hurt everywhere…" With one last sigh, Watanuki sat down, right there, on the front step of the temple. The seer took a deep breath and rested his head on the door frame, the world spinning before his eyes.

The temple grounds were so much cleaner than anywhere else, even Yuko's shop. Watanuki almost felt like sighing in relief! However, now that he was not drowning in spiritual poison, the boy could barely keep his eyes open. The walk in the venomous haze from Yuko's shop to Doumeki's temple had taken every bit of strength and will that the boy had. After all, even struggling to get to Yuko's place so that he could call the witch had almost been deadly. Watanuki had felt his life slipping away at least three times in the past two days because of the ghostly toxin of the miasma. Despite his unwillingness to ask for the archer's help in anything, Watanuki was truly desperate now and Doumeki was the only one who could help. Even standing next to the exorcist was slowly clearing his head. Watanuki was so exhausted that just falling asleep out here on the stairs was beginning to sound very appealing.

"Come in. Spend the night." Doumeki said simply and took Watanuki's arm to help the seer stand. Doumeki was shocked by how cold the other boy's skin felt. A jolt of fear ran up Doumeki's spine. Watanuki was seriously in trouble and to think that he had been walking around like this for _days_. The archer silently cursed the stupid seer for being so damn stubborn, his classmate should have come to him when all this _started_!

The archer slipped an arm around his pale friend's shoulders, again shocked by how cool and sweaty Watanuki felt. With a small grunt, Doumeki lifted Watanuki off the stairs and carried him into the temple. The larger boy tried not to think about how good Watanuki's semi-conscious body felt in his arms, how the weight of the seer felt comfortable against him. Doumeki was almost glad that Watanuki was feverish so that he could not see the blush spreading hotly across the archer's face. Such strong emotions were alien to the archer and yet he could not help the way he felt anymore than a man standing in the ocean could help being swept away. He wondered, not for the first time, why his grandfather visited Watanuki's dreams and not his own. He had so many questions now that he had been too young to ask when the man passed away. Nobody knows about the irregularities of love in fifth grade and even if he had known what to ask, Doumeki was sure he could not have understood the answer.

Now, as he half carried/ half dragged Watasnuki through the darkened house to the bathing room, Doumeki knew exactly what he would say. He would ask how his grandfather had managed to love both his grandmother and his great uncle without them hating each other. Was it possible to like both girls and boys or was there something wrong with him? Nothing had been wrong with his grandfather, whom he had loved so dearly, but what if it wasn't the same for him? Was love of a woman the same as loving a man? How is love conducted when your beloved was a man and what happened if he did not love you back? That was the most burning question of all. He wanted to ask his grandfather how to survive if the object of one's affection turned away, or worse, hated him. Even the thought of real hatred, fear or disgust in Watanuki's strange cobalt blue and brassy gold mismatches eyes sent a spear of icy panic into his belly. Perhaps it was better if the seer never knew how he felt.

It was awkward, trying to carry Watanuki down the narrow hallway without banging the seer into something along the way. Whenever the other boy managed a lucid moment, he pushed against Doumeki in a half hearted attempt to escape. The archer did not much care about the other boy's dignity and only held him tighter. Despite his best efforts to ignore it, he could not help but notice how much the tight press of his classmate against him was arousing his own flesh. Doumeki panted and resisted the urge to turn his head into Watanuki's unruly dark hair and inhale the scent of the seer's body. He just had to get the seer out of those soaking clothes and into some hot water before whatever illness had taken hold of him became any more serious. Or before he did something that he would later regret. The archer silently gave thanks to Buddha when he finally reached the bathing room, he had never really thought of that hallway as being so long! The room was large for a bathing room and Doumeki was grateful for the extra space as he propped Watanuki up against the wall and began to undress him.

"Stop…what're you doing?" The seer muttered and pushed at Doumeki's hands weakly.

"You're freezing. You need a bath." Doumeki said, ignoring Watanuki's mumbled protests.

"Leave me alone." The seer hissed in barely more than a whisper. Doumeki felt his heart crack a little, but soon the sadness was replaced with anger.

"If you had come sooner, you could do this your self. Idiot." Doumeki said, a bit of anger leaking into his otherwise cool voice. Watanuki did not respond. He was completely unconscious. Sighing in both relief and frustration, Doumeki finished taking off the jacket and the soggy shirt beneath it. The archer sat back on his heels for a moment, trying to decide what to do. He was sure Watanuki would be furious with him if he undressed the boy completely without his permission, but the seer's chilly skin could definitely use the warmth of the bath. As he puzzled, he could not help but admire the beautiful, smooth white skin of the other boy's chest. Unlike the muscled thickness of his own tawny body, Watanuki was pale and slender. How could anyone deny such beauty? Surely a man could be as lovely as a woman? Doumeki, at least, had always thought so. Watanuki had the body of a runner, with long smooth muscles terminating in quick, agile limbs. The seer's bare stomach rippled with lean muscle all the way down to his slender hips and his skin was as soft and white as any girl's. Doumeki tore his gaze away, mentally chastising himself for staring. It was not like he hadn't seen his classmate's chest before, but the archer had never had as much luxury or privacy to look at his friend's body. Gently, he swatted Watanuki's cheek.

"Oi. Wake up!" Doumeki shouted into Watanuki's limp face.

"Go away… Want to sleep." Watanuki mumbled, barely coherently. Doumeki sighed, there was no helping it.

Trying to keep his heart rate under control, the archer pulled Watanuki over his left shoulder and unzipped his pants. Despite the sweat and the fever, Watanuki still smelled good and Doumeki couldn't help but press his face against the smooth flesh and inhale the other boy's scent. He smelled like pine needles and musky vanilla. A strange smell, to be certain, but it was still stirring. Doumeki felt himself begin to swell beneath the light sleeping pant he wore under his kimono as he responded to the strange, but lovely scent. Biting his lip and praying Watanuki wouldn't come to, Doumeki pulled his friend out of his pants and lifted him like a sack of rice over his shoulder. With care, Doumeki slid Watnuki into the warm water of the bath. It would have been too awkward to scrub and rinse Watanuki first and the archer was desperate to bring a little heat into his chilled classmate. Doumeki still reminded himself to change the water later that night or at least before his parents got home. With a mental list of chores forming, He removed his own clothing with one hand and climbed into the tub with the seer.

Holding Watanuki against his chest, the archer began to gently wash the cold sweat from his companion with a soft cloth and a bit of soap. The tub was truly going to be a mess, his mother would be furious if she saw them now with the bathroom such a mess. Still, Doumeki thought his grandfather would probably smile wistfully in the way that he did every time he thought of his great uncle. Male affection was not something his grandparent had ever been uncomfortable with. Doumeki, however, was not so lucky. Holding Watanuki against his own naked flesh was bringing redness to his face that had nothing to do with the heat of the bath. His organ was already erect and slowly becoming so hard that it ached. Doumeki tipped Watanuki into the water and began to wash his friend's hair, reveling in the thick black waves. As he washed him, Doumeki noticed that a bit of color was slowly creeping back into the seer's pale face. Watanuki's eyelids twitched. The archer knew he would wake soon and without another thought, Doumeki pressed his lips to the seer's mouth. He ground his lips passionately against the other boy's mouth. He longed to look into Watanuki's face, but the archer kept his eyes screwed shut, afraid those cobalt blue and tawny portals would fly open in indignant rage.

Too soon, a moan escaped from Watanuki's throat and, though his body cried out for more, Doumeki released him. The archer moved to lean against the seer in the most unassuming way possible, even though he longed to run his hands down that perfect skin. Slowly, Watanuki shook his head and opened his fever-clouded eyes. He was still a bit delirious with sickness from the miasma, but he could think clearly enough to notice that he was sitting in a bath against Doumeki. Instantly, his face flushed red with embarrassment and he slid away from the other boy as gracefully as he could. Despite his emotional discomfort, the seer felt better than he had in days and was grateful that Doumeki had managed to get him into the bath. Why was it that the brassy-eyed archer was always helping him? Watanuki had never had a friend go to such lengths before, not even Himawari whom he adored unreservedly.

Even when the situation called for something embarrassing like being stripped naked and bathed like an infant, Doumeki was there. A spark of something deeper than gratitude sprang to life in Watanuki's chest and not for the first time. However, the only sense that the seer could make of the feeling was limited at best. He only felt something similar around Zashiki Warashi or Himawari-chan and they were both girls. With Doumeki, the warm little emotion was different and yet strikingly similar. Watanuki chalked it up to a constant assault by the supernatural and usually discounted it as just another inexplicable part of his life. Tonight, however, something shown in Doumeki's eyes, even as his expression set itself into his usual stoic mask. Puzzled, Watanuki stared at his friend for a bit. He noted the ruddy stain across Doumeki's cheeks, but attributed it to the heat of the bath. How could he know that the blush was from passion and that the heat slowly draining from his friend's strange brass colored eyes came from a stolen kiss?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dear readers,

Hope I haven't blundered already, but there was a question in a review about a love trio with Haruka. This idea was one I really liked from another fanfiction and thought to use. If this is not Kosher, someone tell me and I will remove the reference. The original idea can be found in the magnificent story, Kitsune Bi, by Ookami Kasumi.

Watanuki's body felt sore and heavy, but at least he could breath and his head was no longer throbbing. It was clear that Doumeki had stripped him and dumped him into the bathtub in order to get rid of his chill and break his fever. The mere thought of the archer maneuvering into the bath with his naked body in tow was more embarrassing than he could really handle at the moment. Still, the hot water felt good and it was not the first time Doumeki had been called upon to do something weird. It happened a lot more than Watanuki would like. The seer was grateful, but felt bad considering how much of a mess the bathroom was. His vision slowly clearing, Watanuki glanced at Doumeki whose face looked even more deadpan than usual and rolled his eyes. Oh well, action spoke louder than words and he would make some kind of special lunch for his classmate tomorrow. Knowing Doumeki, the dish would be something extremely tricky that took at least three hours, but Watanuki did not really mind. He liked to cook and, much as he hated to admit it, he felt it was the least he could do for his friend.

"Have I been out long?" Watanuki asked the Doumeki shaped piece of granite sitting to his left. The boy could not be any more expressionless if he were dead.

"A bit." Was the monotone answer from the taller boy.

"A bit? What does that mean? A minute? An hour? I could have been unconscious for a whole day as far as I know and all you say is 'a bit'! Could you possibly be more specific?" Watanuki practically shouted. Doumeki plugged his left ear and continued to ignore him.

"I'm not sure." The archer answered, looking away as if bored.

With a dramatic sigh, Watanuki let the issue drop and began to look around for a sponge to finish bathing. He did not find one and so finished scrubbing off with his hands and a bar of soap. He noticed that his hair had already been soaked and thoroughly washed. A blush crept into the seer's face at the thought of Doumeki washing his hair for him. The idea was not a bad thought, quite the reverse, but Watanuki had only ever had his hair washed by his parents. The action just seemed a little too…intimate. Despite feeling awkward and a bit ashamed, Watanuki almost wished he had been awake while Doumeki was washing him. No one had ever touched him so much or so intimately and Watanuki was surprised to find that the thought was a bit arousing. Of course, it was also terrifying and uncomfortable, but not as much as he would have once thought. The seer began to timidly wonder about what it would be like to wash Doumeki's hair and whether or not that was just something friends did. Or rather, something friends did when one person was unconscious and the other was trying to revive him. Truthfully, the seer did not know. He had never had many friends and the few people he had managed to befriend over the years were usually dead. Dead people did not wash one's hair; that went without saying.

Doumeki was truly his first male friend with whom he was at all close and Watanuki was never entirely sure what, exactly, their relationship was. The other boy drove him into screaming, frothing rage as easily as other people said good morning, but he never hesitated when Watanuki was in trouble. The whole situation was…confusing. Watanuki had thought about asking Yuko for some advice, but she would probably charge him and something told the seer that Yuko would not think _any_ of this was weird. Having your male friends wash your hair was probably something the witch considered an _extremely_ normal occurrence, like buying dreams or drinking sake at six in the morning. Watanuki sighed under his breath. When had his life gotten so complicated? Why was hair washing causing him so much worry when the world outside was probably in the final stages of the apocalypse? The seer finished bathing and stood to step out of the tub, but as he rose a sudden rush of vertigo caused his vision to swim. Gripping the tub to keep from falling, Watanuki barely heard Doumeki move to stand beside him.

"You okay?" Doumeki asked, standing just a little bit too close. Watanuki's head was spinning too much to yell at his classmate about personal space. He nodded weakly.

"Yeah. A little dizzy. That fog is like nothing I have ever seen…I am glad that I came here." Watanuki said, still keeping his eyes on the side of the bathtub. The room seemed to hold still if he did that.

Doumeki got out of the tub, toweled off and quickly dressed while the seer caught his breath and cleared his head at the edge of the bath. Sooner than Watanuki would have liked, Doumeki was towering over him again and coaxing him out of the bath. Annoyed at being fussed over, the seer waved the other boy away with a snarl and stood without assistance. Carefully, Watanuki stepped out and dried himself, almost audibly sighing in relief at how clear the air seemed compared to the world outside. As aggravating as Doumeki was, his temple was a truly special place and Watanuki always enjoyed visiting. Tonight, he was doubly glad that both the temple and the archer were here to come to his rescue. Doumeki left briefly and returned with a few simple, traditional garments for Watanuki to wear. While the robes were a little big, the garments were dry and comfortable. Besides the loose pants and kimono could be belted to fit well enough. Apparently his own clothes had been taken away some time while he was recovering, perhaps they had gotten dirty or something along the way. The walk to the temple was still a little fuzzy for the seer and he was pretty sure he had fallen a couple to times.

Once dressed, Watanuki followed Doumeki down the hall to the young exorcist's bedroom and helped him pull an extra futon from a nearby closet. Thankfully, the mattress had been rolled away with blankets already folded into it and ready for use. The seer collapsed onto the bed almost before Doumeki had even finished unrolling it and was asleep just as quickly. With a breath almost expressive enough to be a sigh, Doumeki lay down on his own mattress and tried to force his heartbeat into a steady rhythm. The exercise was difficult, and the blood continued to pound in his veins. He was hard and aroused, even after feeling the fear that Watanuki would notice drain him of all passion. His body was reacting to the adrenaline screaming in his veins the same way it had reacted to the passion of that one, terrible kiss. He could still taste the other boy's flavor in his mouth and feel the smooth press of his chilly lips against his own. Doumeki wanted more, wanted everything, but even that one kiss had been a terrible mistake. Watanuki was not like he was; the other boy made it completely clear at every available opportunity that he _only_ liked girls. Even if he could love a man, surely it would be something plutonic like the love of brothers or close friends. Once, that might have even been enough, but now the archer could not get the image of the seer out of his mind. There was nothing plutonic about his feelings for Watanuki and he could not hide from this truth any longer. Doumeki was roused from his musing by a small sound from the other cot, a faint wheezing noise almost like wind rushing through dry branches. Immediately, Doumeki hushed his breathing and listened.

Watanuki coughed softly from the other futon and then let out a raspy breath. At first, Doumeki was apprehensive that the seer might be dreaming and talking to his grandfather about certain embarrassing things. However, after a few anxious minutes, the archer knew that his friend was not dreaming. Watanuki was awake again and struggling to breath. True to form, the seer was trying to keep his effort quiet so that Doumeki wouldn't know he was suffering. Doumeki listened in silence for a few more heartbeats to the muffled coughing from the still fevered seer, before he couldn't stand it anymore. Watanuki really was impossible! No wonder Yuko was always calling him to come save her favorite servant from one thing or another. The disregard Watanuki had for his own safety and well-being was down right disturbing. Glad for the distraction from his own dark cogitations, Doumeki rose and quietly crawled over to his friend's futon.

Without warning or permission, the archer slid beneath the blankets to lie next to Watanuki's quaking back. The more slender boy froze for a moment before slowly turning to look into the archer's face.

"Is it better this way?" Doumeki asked, still tense. The silence stretched before Watanuki answered. Whether the seer was fighting with his pride or merely feeling uncomfortable, Doumeki was not sure.

"It is…better. Your presence seems to drive the poison away or neutralizes its effect of something." The seer finally said sheepishly.

"Good." Doumeki said and settled down next to Watanuki, his heart once again racing. There was a long silence and at first Doumeki thought Watanuki might have fallen back asleep, when the other boy spoke again.

"Why?" Watanuki asked, his voice a bit choked in the darkness. Doumeki felt his pulse climb another notch.

"Because…I am different…than you are." Doumeki began, all the while feeling like he was swimming in honey. Each action was heavy and forced with the weight of the terrible truth struggling to surface.

"Yeah, no kidding. You aren't weak or afraid...or a freak." The other boy hissed sardonically. The fever was making Watanuki's breath fast and shallow, but the words still came slowly, "I…wish…I was someone else."

"That is not what I meant. You are who you are." Doumeki said, not entirely sure why the seer was so upset. Part of him was just relieved that the truth of his feelings had not slipped out before Watanuki had interrupted him. Part of him also wished that he had been able to say what he was thinking, what he had been thinking for more than two years.

"Yeah. Nothing is coincidence." The other boy said bitterly.

"I care what happens to you." Doumeki said feeling hopelessly awkward, the words sudden and somewhat out of place.

"I know. That is why I am sorry…for tonight. Yuko taught me that my life is precious to those I care about and that I was only hurting them when…when I don't think about my own safety. I guess, that is why I came here tonight, but I have only caused more trouble." Watanuki said tightly.

"Its okay." Doumeki said, shrugging. What other stupid ideas had the seer gotten into his head, he wondered.

"What I don't understand, though, is why you chose me, of all people, to care about? You have lots of other friends and people admire you, well at least until they get to know how infuriating you are, but still…why me? You spend almost all your time with me." Watanuki said turning his sharp cobalt blue and brass colored eyes to stare directly into Doumeki's tawny ones.

For a moment, passion filled Doumeki's blood once more and he thought about how firm those questioning lips could be. Should he tell the truth? Could he tell Watanuki that there was more than friendship between them, at least for him? He leaned against the seer until their bodies were so close that the heat from Watanuki's fever seemed burn him. Those eyes were so strange, so interesting… The archer discovered, much to his chagrin, that he was burning inside as well. The other boy's mismatched eyes narrowed with uncertainty, still waiting for an answer. Doumeki had to fight the urge to crush the seer against him, to kiss him and touch him and forget about whether or not the other boy loved him. He could _make_ Watanuki love him and then the dreadful ache within him would be vanquished. Doumeki's posture became more aggressive, but the darkness hid the feral light in his eyes. The seer leaned away, looking a bit angry and even more startled by the change in his friend's body language. Like a lion bunching its muscles before a spring, Doumeki had begun to look almost predatory. Watanuki tensed and was instantly on guard. Even weak with fever, his observant mind missed very little.

They sat, crouched and tense for another breathless moment. Doumeki would have moved to follow the more slender boy, but some part of his mind that could still reason stopped him. No, it screamed, he could not do this! Forcing Watanuki was worse than wrong, it was…evil. Suddenly, Doumeki backed away and felt his brain wash with self-loathing. The feeling was so powerful that it startled him. He jerked away from the seer with a jolt, feeling the blush draining from his face as realization of what had almost happened settled into his mind. If he had been a more expressive person, Doumeki would have cried out in agony. As it was, silence once again filled the shadowed room.

"I…you…go to sleep." Doumeki said, a bit more coldly than he intended.

Watanuki rolled his fever glazed eyes, slowly relaxing from the strange interaction. Whatever had happened between the boys had passed and Watanuki felt the tension flow out of his body. Doumeki was stoic, infuriating, annoying old Doumeki again and the seer told himself that the racing in his veins was merely a trick of the fever. The feeling that was a small part fear, another part anger and the rest unnamed heat was much slower to dissipate. He felt almost…aroused, but the seer did not know why. Nothing tonight was making much sense. With one more dramatic glare, Watanuki turned away with a huff and tried to fall asleep. Softly, so that Watanuki wouldn't hear, Doumeki struck his fist into his pillow again and again. The heat from the seer's body was stifling beneath the blankets, but Doumeki did not dare to move.

* * *

Watanuki walked the moonlit paths of the temple garden listlessly. He had the vague feeling that he was waiting for something, but he could not say for what or where he was supposed to find it. The blossoms around him bloomed and faded only to bud and bloom again as he walked. The world seemed to race around him and yet the seer was beyond it, out of time entirely. Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder, but Watanuki was not alarmed.

"Hello." The seer said cheerfully, "How are you Haruka-san?"

The friendly ghost smiled his strange, almost sardonic, and yet gentle smile. Before speaking, the elder Doumeki took a puff on his cigarette and set his face in an unusual expression of concern. He was dressed, as always, in traditional robes that looked slightly rumpled and yet still graceful. Watanuki had spoken with the man many times in his dreams, but he had never known him to look so worried.

"I have been better, Watanuki-kun. How about you?" The ghost said looking up at the moon as he smoked.

"Almost died a couple times this week. The usual. Nothing to worry about." Watanuki said flippantly.

"Ah." The ghost replied. Watanuki was suddenly aware of how much Doumeki Shizuka actually resembled his grandfather. It was just the kind of thing, or lack of thing, his classmate might say.

"You seem…disturbed. Is there anything I can do to help you Haruka-san?" Watanuki asked politely. As always, he was happy to speak with the ghost.

"Perhaps. My grandson is having some problems lately, maybe you can help." The ghost said, looking Watanuki in the eyes.

"Problems? Which ones?" Watanuki said a bit more sarcastically than he meant to.

"Oh the usual problems young men have…and some not so usual ones too." Haruka said enigmatically.

"Like what?" Watanuki asked, feeling slightly apprehensive. Doumeki did not seem sick, but maybe some spirit had finally found a way to harm the powerful exorcist. Such things were not impossible.

"Well, if I tell you, this must remain a secret between us, at least for now. Despite how difficult Shizuka can be, I do love him very much." The ghost said with a wistful smile. Watanuki crossed his arms and huffed. Secrets meant something embarrassing about Doumeki and he could use a bit of ammunition now more than ever. Doumeki Shizuka had more than enough on him. Still, Haruka seemed truly upset and the young seer _did_ want to help. With a sigh and a great roll of his eyes the boy nodded.

"Okay, I promise. Now what is the matter with him, besides the fact that he is a jerk." Watanuki asked crossly. Doumeki Haruka smiled and stood.

"Well, for starters, Shizuka does not just like girls…he has other interests as well. Quite normal really, but rather poorly understood by today's world. Some of his extracurricular activities with you have caused my grandson…some stress." Haruka said, smoking thoughtfully.

"Our extracurricular activities cause me plenty of stress too…what do you mean other interests?" Watanuki asked suspiciously.

"He likes men." Haruka said. Watanuki chuckled and then laughed out loud.

"So, he's gay? I mean that is a little shocking, I guess, but he does turn down every single girl who has ever spoken to him. Actually it makes perfect sense! Even I was beginning to wonder what, exactly, was wrong with him when he can't even say something nice to a girl, but…" Haruka waved his hands to stop Watanuki.

"No, no, he isn't gay…exactly. He does find girls appealing. It is just that he has broader tastes and he doesn't just like men…he likes you." Haruka said with a resigned sigh.

"WHAT!!!!!!!!!" Watanuki shrieked. Even the flowers stopped their ceaseless blooming and withering, as if in surprise. Haruka shut one of his eyes and plugged the ear closest to the seer in a way very much reminiscent of his grandson.

"He has liked you for years, but lately the feeling seems to be getting a little bit out of his control. Shizuka seems very unhappy." Haruka said with an almost apologetic smile.

"So tonight, when he started getting all weird it was because he wanted to ki..ki..ki…kiss me?" Watanuki stuttered.

"No. Well partly, but I think he acted that way mostly because he wanted to fuck you." Haruka said nonchalantly, plugging his ears in advance.

"WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" This time the flowers stayed as they were. It was like the entire dream world was afraid he would have another outburst. Haruka waited until he was certain Watanuki was done screaming and then unplugged his ears with a smile.

"But…but…I like girls! I know I do! I have liked Himawari-chan since grade school and…and…" Watanuki could feel himself blushing even in the dream.

"Well, perhaps you have broader tastes as well. Surely you have noticed how much his attention arouses you. Did you think that was merely coincidence?" Haruka asked, cocking his head.

"No, I actually thought it was probably insanity! Which it is! I am sitting here talking to a dead person about his grandson's sexual problems! How much crazier does it get?" Watanuki exploded.

"Do you really want to know?" The ghost asked mockingly.

"No! I want to go home, take a shower…"

"A cold one?" The spirit asked.

"No!" Watanuki shouted, suddenly feeling very awkward.

"Listen. Despite what you may think, sometimes men who are very close love each other in a way that is not really like anything else. You and Shizuka fight together, study together, eat together. Why…at the moment you two are even sleeping together. Doesn't it make sense that a stronger bond than merely friendship might arise between you? Why is it so shocking that such closeness might become intimate? Love is not always one way or another." The ghost of Shizuka's grandfather said, a might irately.

"I have never heard of such a thing and all those things we do out of necessity." Watanuki said defensively.

"The ancient Spartans, the greatest warriors on Earth at the time, loved that way. On their way to battle, the Spartans would forge relationships through sex. The connections they had with each other were deeper than friendship and each man would fight all the harder to protect his partner. Then, battle fought, they would return to their wives…whom they _also_ loved." Haruka explained as Watanuki fought to find his breath again.

"That's cheating." The seer said at last. Haruka sighed deeply.

"Cheating implies someone getting hurt or betrayed." Haruka pointed out.

"Whatever. This is just too weird and the fact that _I_ am saying that should give you some indication of just how weird this really is." Watanuki said throwing his hands in the air. Haruka rubbed his temples.

"Well. Before you go, I would like to show you something." Doumeki Haruka said.

Suddenly, the air shimmered and became a solid window into Doumeki's bedroom where he and Watanuki slept. Apprehensively, the seer peered into the image of his own body and his best friend sleeping back to back. At first, he could not understand what was so important about watching himself sleep, but he noticed something different about Shizuka's face. The archer was sleeping with he face tucked tightly into his arms, as if hiding from something. Haruka looked in on his grandson and the ghost's face was full of worry. The seer did not know what he was seeing, but as they watched, Doumeki turned in his sleep and revealed his face. There, hidden by the darkness and visible only through a dream, Watanuki could see the wet trails sliding down Doumeki Shizuka's cheeks. Doumeki was _crying_!

"I…I have never seen him cry." The seer said quietly.

"Hmmm. No one has. Shizuka is a very secretive person." Haruka said with an affectionate smile.

"Why? Why is he crying?" Watanuki asked, suddenly very upset.

"It is hard to really explain, but always remember: Love can be joyous, but it can also be painful. Very painful. Love is a beautiful, powerful, wonderful…and terrible thing." The ghost whispered sadly just ask Watanuki opened his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

The Fox and the Lion

By Scarlet Tigress

Chapter 3

Watanuki awoke with a moan only to discover bright sunlight slanting through Doumeki's window, which meant that he had _massivel_y overslept. His head still felt thick and sore, but not half as bad as the nagging pain growing into a full-fledged ache his chest. The dream was still fresh in his mind and all he could think about was Doumeki. Doumeki keeping terrible secrets, Doumeki in pain, Doumeki crying silently in the darkness…because…because… of him. Watanuki rolled onto his side, shutting his eyes tightly, right hand blindly searching the futon for his classmate's body. However, the other boy was gone and his side of the mattress was cool with his absence. With a groan the seer rolled into the archer's indentation and heaved a frustrated sigh. Why was everything in his life so damn…weird! He inhaled the lingering scent of sweet, musky temple incense and sea salt from the cool blankets and raised his head in surprise. Did Doumeki really smell this way? The scent was so familiar and yet the seer was sure he had not really consciously noticed it before.

Watanuki shut his eyes and felt his heart constrict even further. Now that he knew…the truth, he could not afford to ignore it. He could never just pretend that nothing had happened and go back to life as it had been before. Yet, what could he do? While Haruka could be right about his…tastes, sexual attraction was not the same thing as love. The ghost had made it perfectly clear that Doumeki did not just find him physically appealing but, that the archer was actually in _love_ with him. Warmth suddenly bloomed in Watanuki's chest along with the ache. Somebody, actually, _loved_ him! The knowledge of Doumeki's affection actually felt kind of good! Yet, that did not change the face that Watanuki had no idea what to do about it or even where to start. What could he confess to Doumeki? Would it be enough that he cared about his friend and wanted him to be happy? Was that love and, if it was, what kind of love did the two young men even have for each other? Hadn't Haruka said that each of them also liked girls and even implied that the two relationships were not mutually exclusive? The seer did not even understand what his feelings _were_, much less how to express them and what would happen if he did.

Well, there wasn't much Watanuki could do now anyway. Doumeki had probably already gotten up and gone to school and he could not leave the temple grounds without the miasma choking him to death. The idea of his friends eating lunch without him was very upsetting to him and, for once, it was not because he was worried about Himawari falling for Doumeki. Grinding his teeth in frustration the seer rose and re-tucked the blankets around the rumpled futon they had both slept in, as well as Doumeki's. He smoothed the mattresses and neatly rolled them each back into Doumeki's closet, feeling ever more clear headed as he worked. He straightened the room almost without even consciously deciding to, but once the compulsion took him, he found the exercise strangely relaxing. Watanuki piled Doumeki's books neatly onto his desk, swept the tatami mats clean of crumbs and dust, and folded up Doumeki's clothing onto a nearby chair. The room now cleaner than it had probably been in weeks and despite his annoyance at how messy Doumeki could be, Watanuki felt rather satisfied with himself.

The seer made his way to the bathroom, only getting lost twice, and tried to find some fresh clothes to change into. His own school uniform was still soaking wet in the laundry and all he had on were a pair of borrowed pajamas. Mildly annoyed, Watanuki sighed and made his way to the kitchen, still dressed in Doumeki's borrowed sleep robes. He needed a distraction, some way to get his mind off of the problem at hand, and it was not like he had anything else to do. He poked his head into the refrigerator and noted that Doumeki had some barbequed eel, eggs, marin and green onions. All the ingredients for Unagi-tamago in hand, Watanuki began to prepare the omelet and some rice to go with it. Unagi-tamago was one of Doumeki's favorites along with inari sushi and while his classmate was probably gone for the day, Watanuki could at least prepare a snack for him to come home to. Watanuki knew only one sure way to cheer Doumeki up and that was to whip up a lot of really tasty food. Watanuki was just spreading some oil into a heated pan when a shuffling sound made him pause in his preparations.

"Oi." Watanuki jumped four feet into the air in surprise. There was Doumeki, dressed in his usual temple robes, leaning nonchalantly against the kitchen door frame without any expression whatsoever.

"You scared the _shit_ out of me! I thought you had gone to school! You _should_ have gone to school, didn't you have an exam or something, and what…what…Why didn't you just stay in bed?" Watanuki shouted and then gasped. Had he really said that last part out loud?

"You were sick." Doumeki said with a shrug, as if that was the answer to all of the seer's questions, and looked curiously over Watanuki's shoulder at the meal preparations.

"Yes, I did somehow realize that _I_ was sick. After all, I _was _the one coughing and hacking and feeling like dying for the past two days. That still doesn't explain why you are cutting class today! You are a delinquent! It's a good thing your parents aren't here!" Watanuki yelled, feeling his face go red in anger. Doumeki rolled his eyes.

"I did not feel like going." Doumeki said simply, looking away for just the briefest moment. Watanuki felt his anger begin to drain, only to be replaced by something almost like fear. The memory of his friend's hidden tears was still too fresh.

"I made Unagi-tamago for breakfast." Watanuki said. Doumeki's eyes seemed to light up at the mention of his favorite food, but his face was just as stubbornly blank as ever.

"Make some rice and miso soup too." The archer replied, but the very edges of his mouth lifted into what passed as a smile for the tall boy. Watanuki felt his anger return in a rush.

"Of all the arrogant, pompous, rude…I am _not_ taking orders you pig headed musk oxen! _I_ will cook what _I_ want and the only one that gets to order me around is Yuko and that is _only_ because she is my boss! You should just be grateful I am cooking at all! You let me sleep through the all the morning classes and then…and _then_ you decided to cut class for no better reason than…" Watanuki ranted. Doumeki stuck his fingers in his ears and waited for the storm to pass, the half smile never leaving his lips. Wastanuki threw the kitchen rag at him with violent force. Doumeki caught it with one hand, the other still plugging his ear.

"Feeling better?" The archer asked in a decidedly sarcastic almost monotone.

"Ahhhhhh! You are so annoying! I sure hope Yuko gets back soon because if I am stuck talking to you any longer I am going to hang myself!" The seer fumed, grumpily whisking his omelet into fluffy perfection.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, both boys were sitting down to an enticing breakfast of Unagi-tamago, rice and miso soup with some strong green tea. Doumeki, with his usual gusto, picked up his chopsticks and began to devour the food with little grunts of pleasure. However, Watanuki looked at his own plate a bit uncertainly. Everything had turned out beautifully and yet now that the task of cooking had ended there was no escape from the terrifying thoughts whirling through his brain. Suddenly, sitting face to face with Doumeki, Watanuki's appetite seemed to falter. He had to say something or do something or…something. Watanuki was not the kind of person who could let a problem of this magnitude simply sit and fester. Despite what a goddamned pain in the ass the archer could be, Watanuki had seen his friend in pain and wanted desperately for the pain to go away. The seer tapped his chopsticks on the table, trying to think of something he could say that would not be either embarrassing or hurtful or…a lie. Could he like Doumeki that way? Was he put together that way? How was he even supposed to know?

"Something wrong?" Doumeki asked, only noticing his friend's unusual silence after he had practically finished his meal. Watanuki did not answer and the seer's cobalt blue eye was clouded with conflicting emotions.

Watanuki looked at Doumeki and, for the first time, really _looked _at his classmate. He noted the appealing shape of Doumeki's chest beneath his temple robes and the way his eyes could look like cold brass on instant and fiery amber the next. The seer looked at the gentle curvature of the archer's lips and noticed the way his large canines protruded just slightly beyond his other teeth. He felt something warm and a bit electric begin to stir within him as he imagined Doumeki naked in the bath with all his strong muscles slick with water. Watanuki, for once, did not resist the feelings flowing into his body, but surrendered to them instead. He had to know. Did he want the archer the way Haruka had said Doumeki wanted him? Watanuki undressed Doumeki with his eyes and felt the warm glow in his belly burst into burning heat. His body responded as if awakening from a long and chilly sleep, filling his enlarging organ with blood. Watanuki's heart began to race and he felt the desire fill him until he was so hard that it almost hurt. The seer's long look became almost hungry, almost predatory, and Doumeki cocked his head in confusion. Watanuki had never looked at him that way before… he had never looked at _anyone_ that way.

"Are you sick?" Doumeki asked, unsure how to interpret the heat in his friend's gaze.

Watanuki said nothing, startled by the how powerfully he was drawn to touch Doumeki. The feeling was so powerful, so encompassing, that it almost felt like magic, like when he had walked into Yuko's shop without any intention of doing so. Some part of himself that had been locked away and dormant now rose to the surface, awake and full of fire. Without another word or even a coherent thought, Watanuki stood with a fluid motion and reached across the table to pull Doumeki into his arms. Plates shattered and flew from the table as Watanuki pulled the archer into a sudden, violent, passionate kiss. Doumeki startled at both the sudden action and the strength of Watanuki's lips. His friend had embraced him too quickly for the archer to even think, much less speak. Yet the fire that he had seen sparking in Watanuki's eyes now roared to a powerful flame inside the archer as well. Those cool lips on Doumeki's mouth ground against his own, sucking, probing, demanding an answer. Watanuki rumbled, deep in his throat, the sound heavy with carnal want. With a moan, Doumeki pulled the seer against his chest, crushing his lips with equal passion and force. Doumeki could feel Watanuki's fingers digging into his neck and his back, but the pain only seemed to arouse him further. They kissed, as only men can, the roughness of their embrace only driving one another to greater heat.

Doumeki probed Watanuki's mouth with his tongue, seeking entrance, almost forcing the seer to submit to his demands. Watanuki pushed against Doumeki's tongue with his own, competing for dominance and yet moaning with pleasure. The seer finally buckled and sucked on Doumeki's tongue, yielding his mouth to Doumeki's advances. The warmth and slickness of the archer sent shivers up his back and down into his groin and Watanuki moaned even as Doumeki drove deeply into his mouth. The archer pushed between Watanuki's lips, enjoying he soft feel of the other boys tongue resisting his own. Heat exploded deep in his belly. Doumeki tore his mouth away, gulping a breath of air before hungrily kissing the seer's cream-white throat. The burning kisses against his throat sent deep, hot jolts of pleasure down into Watanuki's already swollen cock. Where had Doumeki learned to do something like that? With a moan, the archer pulled Watanuki against him until the other boy was straddling him with his weight against the archer's swollen erection. For a brief moment they stopped, suddenly able to feel one another's hard shaft beneath the layers of clothing. Fear crept into Watanuki's eyes as he felt the tight ridge of Doumeki's cock against his own. He had never felt anything so bold, so pleasurable…or so intimate.

"You are hard. It feels good." Doumeki muttered against his neck. Heat still flooded Watanuki's quivering body, but uncertainty had taken root there too. The seer pulled away gently and responded with a far more delicate kiss than they had shared before.

"I…I…don't know. This is so intense and that was my first kiss…I…" The seer stuttered, feeling uncertain and yet still aroused. Doumeki's gaze was hot, but surprisingly steady. With a great effort of will, the archer gently released Watanuki from his embrace.

The seer slid from his lap to sitting panting, his hands on his thighs, a few inches away. Both men sat, willing themselves to stillness and watching the each other with heated, but uncertain eyes. Watanuki wracked his fevered brain for something to say, but the only sound that came to his lips was something halfway between a snarl and a pur. How he wanted to just push back into Doumeki's arms and touch the archer so intimately again and yet he was still. The feelings were too new, too…powerful. Watanuki was not ready. Doumeki was practically quivering with desire and surprise. How many times had he dreamed of kissing Watanuki only to discard the idea as pure fantasy? Watanuki's sudden kiss was so mind bogglingly unexpected…and delicious. The archer could barely think he was so aroused! It had taken every bit of will he had to release Watanuki when the other boy became uncomfortable. Suddenly, Doumeki noticed the red stain spreading across the side of Watanuki's robes and his passion was stilled.

"You are bleeding." Doumeki pointed, his voice still breathy. Watanuki eyes widened and he looked down at his hand in shock.

"I must have hurt it when…when I grabbed you over the table." The seer said, looking a bit frightened. Though the cut had begun to bleed in earnest, he could feel no pain. What was happening to him?

"Come. We better bandage it." Doumeki said, rising from the floor. Watanuki stared at him a moment longer, trying to sort his tangled thoughts. As the fire drained from his veins, Watanuki felt a chill settle into his belly.

What had he just done? He had just kissed Doumeki, another boy, without any kind of hesitation. He had allowed himself to be dragged across a completely set table and into the archer's lap. Watanuki felt insecurity nag at him deeply. Had he done the right thing? The seer had not taken the time to think, he had only reacted to the desire thundering through his body. He knew, with perfect certainty, that the relationship he had had with Doumeki for the past two years had suddenly and permanently changed. At last, his hand began to throb and the seer rose to follow Doumeki to the bathroom, knowing that his life would never be the same.


	4. Chapter 4

The Fox and the Lion

By Scarlet Tigress

Chapter 4

As much as Watanuki craved time to himself to think about his feelings, he and Doumeki were constantly together. Despite the archer's cool personality, Watanuki never felt as if he could focus around the other boy and he desperately needed to figure out what was going on, both between them and inside of himself. The seer hesitated to ask Doumeki for space, afraid that the archer would interpret his request as a form of insecurity or regret. The seer did not regret kissing Doumeki at all, it had been the most amazing thing he had ever done and yet he was still unsure about what their relationship really was. Watanuki figured that since he had been the one to kiss the stoic boy, it was his own fault if he felt uneasy and bore the feelings with silence. After all, he could have ignored Haruka and gone on as before, oblivious to Doumeki's feelings. Unfortunately, Doumeki was not the problem. The problem was with Watanuki himself. Since their kiss, he felt as if a deep, aching shiver had settled itself right beneath his skin and being around Doumeki only made it worse. The seer found that he could not do homework or even help with the temple chores without thinking about the kiss. The heat that he had felt when touching Doumeki, the pleasure of the archer's lips, were ever present in his thoughts. Watanuki had never felt such _desire_ for anyone before and while he craved to reach out to Doumeki once again, the seer was afraid. He was afraid that he would lose himself in that kind of passion and never be able find his way back. Watanuki was not sure what he should do or what was even appropriate. The idea of making love to a woman was nerve wracking enough, but with a man he knew there would almost certainly be pain for somebody.

It was impossible not to notice, even without Haruka's help, that Doumeki wanted (and now expected) intimacy. Watanuki had thought that fear and arousal were mutually exclusive emotions, but he was coming to discover that that was not the case. From what he had heard from whispered conversations and various books, the experience could be…well…rather brutal. The kiss had shown Watanuki that his own feelings were competitive and very aggressive, as well as affectionate. Even an impassioned kiss had left him stunned and bleeding, what would something more be like? Doumeki was just as eager and just as rough as he, maybe even more so. Watanuki chewed his lip, his mind filled with carnal longing and instinctual trepidation. The mathematics before him could have gotten up and walked off the page for all he would have noticed. Watanuki really wished he could talk to Yuko. Whatever her price might be, he really wanted her help. Suddenly, as if the witch had been listening to Watanuki's private thoughts, the telephone in the kitchen rang. He could tell from the formal timbre of Doumeki's voice that Yuko was on the other line. Quick as a fox, the seer discarded his homework and dashed into the kitchen, where Doumeki was already preparing to hand him the phone.

"Yuko-san?" The boy said breathlessly.

"Watanuki-kun? How was the kiss? Tell me everything!" The witch sang merrily over the crackling line. Watanuki felt a dark blush crawl up his cheeks. Was there anything that damn woman didn't know?

"I…it…why the hell should I tell you?" Watanuki snarled, "Of all the impudent and indecent things to ask anyway! Why do you even care?"

"Now, that's very rude. After all, I was _only_ calling in the interest of your romantic well-being…" She practically purred over the vast distance.

"Yeah, and to dig up as many juicy and embarrassing details as possible." Watanuki said, rolling his eyes.

"Of course! I am on a _very_ long trip and one is bound to get bored in transit. Now, tell Doumeki to leave as I have a few little things to talk to you about personally." Yuko said, her voice still low and sultry, as if sharing a very dirty secret. Watanuki felt, for the first time that day, as if he wanted to keep Doumeki there in the room. However, Yuko probably had all sorts of embarrassing things to discuss and so Watanuki waved the archer out of the kitchen.

"So, what do you need to tell me?" The seer asked apprehensively.

"First, that sex among men is _not_ the same as it is between men and women and probably not the same for you and Doumeki as it is for other couples. You have to be careful, or you could get hurt. Take your time and use lots of lubricant." The witch said nonchalantly as if discussing the weather. Watanuki felt his blood pressure spike.

"I…I…It's not like I am just going to jump into bed this second you know! What, just because we kissed instantly makes us…What ever it is when people have sex? Besides, I am only seventeen and I only just had my first kiss and…" Watanuki tried to explain, but somehow just ended up feeling awkward.

"That was your _first_ kiss? How cute!" She trilled. Watanuki felt his heart sink. Great, now she knew that juicy little tidbit too.

"Yuko-san, men are not cute." Watanuki asserted dryly.

"Cuteness is all about perspective, but it is true that men are _not_ always cute. Sometimes they are…very rough." The witch's voice became suddenly very serious. Watanuki gulped.

"H..H..How?" The seer asked, suddenly very much aware of the cut on his hand.

"Sometimes, especially when men come to know each other as you and Doumeki do, it is hard to know how to behave. You both feel strongly for each other and care about each other's happiness, but you instinctually struggle for dominance. When a man is with a woman, it is easier for him to know how to behave since he instinctually feels the need to protect her. With you and Doumeki, you struggle to protect each other and yet, in doing so, sometimes undo the other's efforts. When you took the spider's curse from Doumeki's eye onto your own, you felt that you were protecting him. Yet, he was angered by this and gave up his eye once again to protect _you_. What you boys have between you is not an easy kind of love and not one that is well understood." The witch said, with a small sigh.

"I…don't know if I understand, are you telling me that we are incompatible? I thought _you_ were the one that said we were? This whole mess is _your_ fault anyway for telling me to come over here!" Watanuki snapped in frustration. Trust Yuko to be completely unhelpful.

"No. You are compatible. However, you are not compatible like a sword is with its sheath… but more like how an arrow is with a bow. Both pieces are worthless separately and yet they are each very much separate things. The bow and the arrow interact to produce a powerful effect, but when they touch there is tension and physical strain. Additionally, a bow and an arrow each have their _own_ sheaths." Yuko said, her voice very calm and somewhat condescending.

"Uh…okay." Watanuki said feeling annoyed, but also a bit unnerved. The witch did have a funny way of making sense out of otherwise completely incomprehensible situations.

"Besides, your little romantic conflict will have to wait. We have bigger problems. Much bigger." Yuko said, her voice growing slightly cold.

"The miasma. Do you know what is causing it?" Watanuki asked, suddenly dead serious.

"Perhaps. In the mean time, tell Maru and Moro to stay within the inner rooms of the shop and stay in contact with Mokona. I will be home in two days time. Stay with Doumeki and please do _not_ leave the temple." The witch instructed. She sounded almost…distracted.

"What about school?" Watanuki asked, feeling panic begin to seep into him. How would he keep up if he had to stay home for two more days?

"Tomorrow is Friday." Yuko said, as if that was the answer to everything.

"Fine. I guess one more day off will be okay, but do I have to stay here?" Watanuki whined.

"What? Is the company not…appealing?" Yuko said, her voice mischievous. Watanuki flushed.

"Sure…I mean no, but…I mean. What if he…and I…I mean…What if…Will it hurt?" The seer blurted out without thinking and slapped his forehead. Why was it he always told Yuko exactly what he was thinking? Perhaps he was cursed. In fact, he was _sure_ he was cursed.

"Yes, maybe a little. Maybe even a lot, but that is all up to you. Follow your instincts, but don't be overwhelmed by them. Take your time. Besides, the pleasure is far more intense than the pain. It's worth it." She said with a giggle. Watanuki did not think it was very funny.

"I do not know what to do. I just want some space." Watanuki said with a sigh of defeat, his voice shaking.

"Is that a wish?" The dimensional witch asked.

"NO! Just…Ahhh!" Watanuki shouted waving his arms.

"Just embrace your inner nature and yet try to be firmly in control of it. Doumeki will have to struggle to do the same. By the way, tell Doumeki his parents are stuck in Okinawa due to weather and will probably call soon. Guess you two will have the place to yourselves a bit longer…hehe. Oops! Gotta go! Have fun!" Yuko said cheerily and the phone went dead.

Watanuki sighed and hung up the phone more forcefully than he had meant to. Doumeki poked his head into the kitchen at the sound of the telephone being slammed into its cradle. His amber eyes were warm with stifled amusement. Watanuki frowned. Of all the people in the universe to have romantic angst over, why someone who thought the whole damn thing was funny!

"What are you looking at? Don't you have…temple chores or something?" Watanuki snapped.

"No." Doumeki said passively, leaning against the doorframe.

"Well! We _both _decided to stay home from school so isn't there anything to do other than stare at me you lazy…delinquent!" Watanuki practically snarled.

"I have a few ideas…" Doumeki said with the barest hint of a smirk. A furious red blush bloomed on Watanuki's face.

"I…um…well…" The seer muttered, struggling for composure. Doumeki leaned toward him, the warmth in his eyes growing less mirthful and more sensual.

With a jolt, Watanuki realized his own body was responding to Doumeki's closeness, coaxing him to look…and to touch. Heat crept from his face lower, spreading through his belly and filling his groin as electric fire pounded through his brain. He gasped in surprise, but the noise was almost a throaty sigh. The archer's body responded to that forbidden sound, filling him with hot need even as burning blood swept through his unprepared organ. He was growing hard, despite the fact that Watanuki had only produced that one singular sigh of lust. Doumeki, eyes like molten brass, reached a slow hand out to cup the seer's blushing face and slowly stroked his thumb over the boys trembling lips. Watanuki backed away a step, uncertain eyes flickering to Doumeki's golden stare, but he did not retreat far. Like a cornered fox, uncertain of whether to attack or retreat, Watanuki lowered his stance into an almost defensive posture. Doumeki paused. There was heat growing in the seer's strange heterochromatic eyes, but the boy's stance was too uncertain…almost fearful. With a chill, Doumeki realized that the pale boy's resistant body language aroused him even more. Something deep in his soul had awoken, filling the archer with aching desire that was both dominating, possessive, protective and ruthless. The urge to step forward and capture Watanuki's lips, to make the seer submit to his desires despite his friend's feelings raged inside Doumeki like a volcano. Doumeki wanted to claim the seer…brand him, mark him, _own_ him at any cost so that nothing would ever touch that porcelain flesh, but his own hands.

In a movement as fluid and swift as a pouncing lion, Doumeki thrust his right leg between Watanuki's thighs and pressed the smaller boy against the counter behind them. Startled the seer raised an arm to push the larger boy away, but found his wrist trapped in the steel embrace of the archer's right hand. His effort frustrated, Watanuki felt something close to panic and yet more like rage, fill his mind along with the still blossoming desire. The seer made a noise deep in his throat that was both a snarl and a purr, a sound that spoke of passion and of resistance. The archer forced Watanuki's trapped hand to the counter's surface, where he could hold the slender boy with his weight instead of his strength. The seer's other hand fumbled at Doumeki's shoulder, uncertain whether to push the other boy away or hold him closer. Watanuki glared at Doumeki, but there was longing in his gaze as well as frustration. The seer warred with himself between giving into the rising tide of passion and protecting himself against possible attack.

"Let me go." The smaller boy hissed, his cobalt and tawny eyes hot and clear.

"Do you really want me to?" Doumeki asked, pressing his thigh against the seer's swelling erection. Watanuki gasped, his hand clenching in the archer's solid grip as the ecstasy of the delicate friction filled his body.

"I…I want to think." The seer panted, his warm breath tickling Doumeki's hovering mouth.

"Think then…" The archer said as he moved his face from Watanuki's eyes to devour the elegant curves of the boy's neck.

With deliberate slowness, the archer moved his blushing lips to rest against the edge of the seer's collar bone. The skin was smoother and perfectly white and Doumeki could not help, but groan with longing. His mouth moved on the slip of exposed flesh, gently nipping and sucking at the seer's creamy skin. Beneath him, Watanuki shivered in pleasure and the archer could feel that the seer's bulging erection was just as hard as his own. Slowly, he trailed his eager tongue up to lap the long cords of muscle trembling in the other boys neck. A slow, tortured moan escaped with the air rushing from Watanuki's lips as the other boy swelled noticeably beneath Doumeki's thigh. Doumeki surrendered to his building passion, kissing Watanuki's exposed throat and moaning softly against his skin. He inhaled deeply of the seer's strange, but addictive pine and vanilla essence. Without any kind of conscious will, Watanuki tilted his head, giving the archer more room to devour his neck. Doumeki purred appreciatively, deep in his chest and continued to trail his hot, moist tongue over the smooth skin. The archer could feel Watanuki's heartbeat quickening beneath his demanding lips and he turned his head, sucking on Watanuki's pulse just in front of the boy's ear. The seer bucked in his arms, shocked by the fiery jolt of sensation the gesture aroused.

Acting on instinct, Doumeki ground his thigh against the other boy's erection feeling his own body respond to the intimate contact. Watanuki gasped and felt his hips flex of their own accord, driving his own eager body again the hard musculature of Doumeki's leg. The seer knew that he had lost control; that his emotions and instincts were driving him into the heat, leaving his mind behind. The smell of the archer was enticing, bold and yet subtle incense and sea salt churning with the musky odor of Doumeki's arousal. Doumeki set his teeth suggestively against the curve of Watanuki's throat, firmly gripping the skin and muscles at the base of Watanuki's neck. Watanuki's hand tangled in the soft fabric of Doumeki's temple kimono, pulling the simple shirt and exposing the other boy's tan shoulder. The action was erotic and aggressive, defensive and yet carnal. A deep, husky snarl erupted from the seer's chest as Watanuki turned to sink his own jaws into the thick muscle of Doumeki's shoulder. Watanuki could taste the salty sweat and lingering incense clinging to that archer's skin as he flicked his tongue tentatively against the captured flesh. The larger boy purred against the seer's neck, his own teeth vibrating with the noise against Watanuki's throat.

Doumeki deftly slid the fingers of his free hand into the opening of Watanuki's borrowed shirt, spreading the fabric wide while trapping the seer's arm in the cloth. He released his teeth from Watanuki's neck only to trail burning kisses down the boy's pale chest. The seer delicately sucked Doumeki's shoulder, running his tongue along the bulging muscles. The curves of the archer's body enticed him, filled him with want and hot arousal. The archer's tongue brushed the other boy's already firm nipple, noting its enticing pink hue and smoothing warmth over the eager nub. Watanuki jerked against Doumeki, only to find himself firmly pinned against the counter. Shocked into conscious thought by the pounding intensity of sensation erupting from Doumeki's mouth on his nipple, the seer hesitated. He could almost hear Yuko's words of caution ringing in his head.

"W..Wait…" Watanuki panted.

"I have…so long…" Doumeki moaned against his chest, sucking his nipple and slowly moving to place a hand over Watanuki's straining organ. The seer gasped again at the erotic touch.

"No…to fast…to fast." Watanuki managed to croak between ragged breaths, but Doumeki was not listening.

The archer's larger hand closed to cup Watanuki's hardened shaft through the soft fabric of his pants, rubbing his fingers over the sensitive area. The seer moaned against the other boy's neck as his hips pressed against Doumeki's bold hand. The archer sighed low in his throat as he tongued and sucked the seer's tender nipple, all the while massaging the other boy's sex. Watanuki felt his mind begin to release his thoughts into the void. So easy to simply give into the heat and forget about everything else but the feeling of the archer's body against his own. Watanuki almost wanted to forget and just let himself submit to Doumeki's demands…completely. Watanuki finally turned his mouth to press a hot kiss against Doumeki's neck, sucking and probing the warm flesh.

His arousal was aching, begging for release. The phone rang, startling both boys.

"Hmm…ignore it." Doumeki whispered, his eyes still hot with want.

"It's your parents. Let me go." Watanuki gasped, his head slowly clearing. Doumeki hesitated.

"They'll call back." He said, but his voice was uncertain. The phone rang insistently.

"They are stuck in Okinawa…you better talk to them. Besides, I…I need a minute." The seer said, surprised at the coolness of his own words.

His mind was darting in circles, fighting against the urge to simply seize Doumeki and continue. Still it wasn't right. It was not something he wanted to rush this way. Doumeki, with a frustrated sigh, released his prey and practically stalked to the telephone. Watanuki heaved a deep breath in both relief and disappointment. At least he would get a bit more time to sort through his mind, without worrying about the irresistible commands of his body. His muscles seemed to go weak and the seer slowly slid down against the counter to sit breathlessly on the floor. Two more days. Could he resist for two more days? Should he? Yuko had said to take his time, but what if later he regretted waiting. A sharp sting caught his attention and Watanuki gingerly reached up to press his fingers against the bruise already forming on his neck from Doumeki's teeth. Glancing at the still half dressed archer, Watanuki could see a similar bruise forming on his shoulder and a chill formed in his gut. No. Whatever was happening between them was too hot, too fast and too primal to be taken lightly. The witch was right, he would have to try to slow the pace.

"Konichiwa." Doumeki practically snarled into the telephone.


	5. Chapter 5

The Fox and the Lion

By Scarlet Tigress

Chapter 5

The feeling was persistent and, like a blister under clothing, the small pain was slowly becoming unbearable. Watanuki sighed and mopped the sweat from his brow yet again as he struggled to finish sweeping Yuko's porch. Even the wind against his skin was harsh and abrasive, filled with the malignant energy that seemed to seep from the very air. Watanuki's body felt battered and uncomfortable, but his soul was veritably screaming beneath the burning pressure of the awful energy. Days! Days had passed and the thick miasma only deepened around them. In the streets people laughed and talked as if nothing were different in the world, but they were all blind to he terrible spiritual filth that was slowly strangling the entire countryside. Watanuki panted, his vision crossing and his lips dry. The seer fought to finish the chore, but he could barely keep his body from trembling. He was sure the miasma had deepened during the days he spent with Doumeki at the temple. If he had been just a bit less preoccupied with the breakneck pace at which his relationship with Doumeki was preceding, the seer would be there even now. The temple was still mostly clear of the spiritual filth and Watanuki could breath easier there, but his newfound feelings of…of…love or lust or whatever were slowly driving the boy insane. Yuko had specifically told him to stay at the temple, but how could the witch know how difficult it had become to be near Doumeki! Every time the two youths were together, the seemingly irresistible urge to touch, to kiss…and more seemed to overwhelm the young seer of spirits. He knew it was the same for Doumeki as well and, while the archer's face remained as blank as ever, his body language was slowly coming to mirror Watanuki's own frustration.

Both boys knew, cognitively, that their exploration of one another was important and should not be rushed, but each time they touched Watanuki very nearly lost control. Moreover, the seer was slowly coming to realize that, at least in his case, losing control could have dangerous consequences. The two youths could to draw forth unbearable ecstasy from one another, but someone always seemed to walk away bruised or bleeding. The boys' passion was too hot, too primal for either of them to truly understand or control. Watanuki worried that what he felt for Doumeki was not love, but something more complicated, less pure and closer to a desire for control of the archer. The mere thought that he was not honestly returning his friends affectionate feelings made the seer cold inside, he simply could not bear to hurt Doumeki that way. So he had run away, back to Yuko's shop on the pretense that he had to prepare for her return. The archer had bid him a stoic farewell at the gate that he couldn't see, but Watanuki was sure Doumeki doubted his motives for leaving. Despite the pit in his stomach, Watanuki simply _had_ to have some space from his protector or else…or else he would give into their passion without knowing what it meant.

"Watanuki." The voice was a bit low for a woman, but still thoroughly feminine and filled with power. So, his employer had finally returned.

"Good morning, Yuko-san." Watanuki smiled at the tall witch through the poisonous haze that managed even to drape the witch's shop. Yuko's eyes were hooded and her expression unreadable. Perhaps she thought he had exaggerated over the phone or perhaps it was merely veiled anger at the demonic magic that had even infected her home. Tit was also possible that she did not appreciate him ignoring her orders to stay at the temple. The young seer did not have the energy to ponder his employer's mood too carefully; even now the very air seemed to be rubbing his skin raw.

"This miasma is one of the worst I have ever seen. Do you know from what location it came?" Yuko asked calmly, although a single twitch of an eyebrow betrayed her. Watanuki felt a cold chill run through his body. She was not angry or annoyed…the dimensional witch was actually frightened!

"No, it seemed to come from the sky of all places. There was never any one area where the mist seemed to be more concentrated. I cannot find the source and I have been searching all week." Watanuki croaked in a painful, scratchy voice. His throat felt raw and sore as if the air had been robbed of moisture by the poisonous spiritual fog. He missed the clean air of the temple and the warm skin of its occupant, more than he wanted to admit.

"Maru and Moro?" Yuko asked in her same low, commanding voice that was both sultry and authoritative.

"I told them to stay in the storage room since that seems to be the only place completely free of the miasma. I did not know how it would affect them. Mokona is with them now." Watanuki answered, leaning on his broom and wiping his face once again.

"You have done well. Forget the sweeping and come inside. You look like you are about to pass out anyway and you will need rest for the tasks to come." Yuko said, her burgundy eyes as masked as her beautiful face. Watanuki nodded. Normally he might have complained to her or argued about the unknown task, which he had not even yet agreed to do. However, today was not like any other day and the seer did not have the strength. He left the broom leaning against the shop and dragged himself into the house. Once inside Yuko's residence, the poison was far less concentrated and Watanuki allowed himself a relieved sigh. Without waiting for Yuko's instruction, the boy dragged himself down the hallway into the room he usually occupied when spending the night. Watanuki managed to pull the futon out and lay it on the mats before falling asleep, but only just. Despite the temple comforts, he hadn't really gotten much sleep. The seer either found himself lying awake at Doumeki's side willing himself not to touch the other boy or rolling over and touching him anyway.

The past days had been exhausting for him and now that Yuko had returned, the boy felt at least a small measure of security. Even if she was afraid, the tall witch would find something to drive away the poisonous haze. Aside from his employer, Watanuki had only told Doumeki about the catastrophic spiritual assault. While the seer could actually breathe when he was around the other boy, there was only so much the archer could do. The boys had spent the past week nearly living together in order for Doumeki to shield Watanuki from the toxin only the seer could sense. By the time Watanuki had mentioned the problem to his rival, the miasma had gotten so thick he could barely get to school. Even with the eye that the two young men shared, Watanuki still had to convince the archer of how terrible the problem really was! One would have thought that Doumeki could take a hint, but the archer could be dense sometimes. By the time he enlisted his classmate's help, the young seer was truly desperate. He _had_ to be desperate to ask for Doumeki's aid in the first place. Who would have thought that finally asking the archer for help would have such vast and emotional consequences? Still, hadn't Yuko taught him of Hitsuzen? Watanuki supposed that all life was made of actions and their consequences.

Watanuki had called Yuko almost as soon as the miasma had appeared, but she had been far away and days had passed before her return. By now, the haze had become of fog almost too thick to even see through. Yuko mentally slapped herself for not coming sooner, not that that would have really been possible. Still, she knew that Watanuki, and Kohane for that matter, could not survive in the miasma much longer. Soon, even normal people who were oblivious to spirits would begin to feel the effects. Yuko chewed one long pink nail in consternation. She needed to find the source of this deadly magic and she needed to do it soon. Possibly, the creature producing the miasma was not even in the same time or dimension. That would at least explain how Watanuki, powerful seer that he was, could not find the source of the dread energies. From the hall, the dimensional witch watched her treasured servant sleep and worried. She knew that the only way to stop the miasma would involve risking Watanuki's life, but if she did nothing he would soon succumb to its malice anyway. Hitsuzen was a very cruel thing indeed.

"Is he sleeping?" A rather confident, but high pitched voice asked from close to Yuko's left foot. Yuko glanced down to see Mokona standing solemnly beside her. Apparently the little black creature had emerged from the storage room. Yuko smiled, despite her unease as Mokona jumped onto her shoulder.

"Yes. He is exhausted." Yuko said, her face a careful mask as usual.

"No surprise. He has been trying to keep up with all the chores even with the miasma surrounding the house. We all thought he was going to kill himself sweeping the porch today." Mokona said with an ironic huff.

"So devoted. He really is a good one, isn't he?" The dimensional witch said with a smile.

"Yes. And her makes the _best_ dumplings, but we must hurry. He won't last long." Mokona said, still smiling cheerfully. The littler creature could smile in the face of any danger it seemed. For this, Yuko was grateful.

"I know. Call the archer and when Watanuki wakes tell him to bring the black chest from the storage room. We will meet at the temple." Yuko said, her eyes narrowing. Mokona's eyes widened in surprise in the creature's pudgy black face.

"He isn't ready." The little black creature said seriously, a bit too seriously for Yuko's liking. Mokona was never so direct unless the world was coming to an end.

"I know. Doumeki and Watanuki are only just beginning to understand their feelings for one another. I do not know how much they really trust each other. I am not sure if they will be able to rely on one another with their very lives, but we have no time Mokona. The battle is upon us whether we are ready or not. Totem magic is the only way." Yuko said, glancing again at Watanuki's sleeping face. For an instant, the pain in her mind showed upon her face. Mokona's ears drooped.

"Yuko, please find another way. Totem magic is too strong, too primordial…the consequences for both of them could be devastating. Even now, each still struggles to find balance within himself." Mokona whispered.

"I know." The witch said, her eyes dark.

"Even you, when you used the armor, could not resist its magic! Their relationship is only beginning and those items can only be wielded by powerful shamans. They are not ready to confront their totems! They are barely even adults!" Mokona complained, folding her ears along her back and glancing at the sleeping boy.

"I have no choice. If I do not call upon their totem creatures and use the armor, Watanuki will die. I…will not allow that." The witch said and Mokona knew the conversation was over.

* * *

Watanuki was glad now that he had slept, even if it had only been for a few hours. The chest was extremely heavy and even getting it out of the house had almost given him a hernia. Once at the gate, Doumeki had met them with his usual wordless stoicism and together the boys carried the chest to the temple. The archer looked different today, Watanuki thought to himself. There was something other than stoic confidence within the depth of his brassy eyes, something not usually visible. While it would not be surprising if Doumeki was concerned about him, Watanuki had seen concern in those eyes before. The emotion hiding behind those thick brass irises was not worry, even though the other boy had been present for every cry of pain and every ragged breath Watanuki had uttered in the past week. No, there was a heat in the archer's gaze that the seer had witnessed before and something else. A kind of…desperation? Watanuki could not be sure. Whatever was going on behind that expressionless face of his, Doumeki gave no outward indication. The seer wondered if he had just been imagining things and thought no more of it. Now was not the time for romantic problems.

Even with the archer's help, the damn trunk weighed a ton and if it weren't for Doumeki's protective aura the seer would have collapsed. It irked him to need Doumeki's help so much, but complaining took too much air so, for once, Watanuki was silent as well. While he slept, Yuko had changed into clothing that Watanuki had never seen her wear before. The witch had donned a deep red jacket made of cured leather strips layered together almost like antique armor. Each leather piece had been carefully inscribed with various wards. Her hands were protected by delicately woven chain-mail gloves and red leather bracers hid her slender forearms. The whole effect was rather…martial.

Beneath the startling armor, Yuko wore a padded silk kimono and wide silk pants. The whole garment looked suspiciously like male clothes that had been tailored to fit her slender body. Watanuki might have laughed at the thought if the whole array hadn't looked so impressive on her and if he hadn't felt so sick. Yuko's long hair had been pulled into a high style with a flowing tail and ornaments that looked curiously like daggers thrust through her black locks. Watanuki had felt his throat go dry as soon as he saw her. Things were very bad when the dimensional witch felt the need to wear armor.

"Watanuki, once we are safely within the temple, bring the pipe fox out of his protected tube." Yuko called over her shoulder to her struggling servant. Watanuki bit back an annoyed reply and merely nodded. The pipe fox was secure beneath his school jacket in a pipe that had been specially warded to protect the creature from the terrible magic in the miasma. Watanuki did not know if the power of the fox would be enough to banish the haze, but more than anything he did not want the creature to be harmed.

"Hai." The young seer replied.

"Now, if only you could be so polite when we are not in a world ending crisis." Yuko said with a small laugh. Despite the mucky spiritual haze, Watanuki felt his face begin to heat with irritation.

"A small 'thank you for dragging around my ridiculously heavy antiques at the drop of a hat' would not be uncalled for either, you know! What is in here anyway? Rocks?" Watanuki hissed from behind the massive trunk.

"Metal, actually. Now hurry up. We don't have much time. Wouldn't want to be late." The witch said coyly. Watanuki snarled under his breath. She really was infuriating and he was on the edge already because of the damn haze. The seer sighed. Why did something horrible happen every time Yuko left town for a few days?

"You walk too slow." Doumeki said in his usual monotone from the other side of the trunk. Apparently heated kisses hadn't changed everything, Watanuki thought becoming annoyed.

"Shut up!" Watanuki snarled, "The only reason you are even _here_ is because poor Himawari-chan could not be allowed to expose herself to such a deadly miasma. _You_, however, I don't worry about!" The words came out before he even realized what he was saying. Watanuki cursed himself, some habits were hard to break.

"I'm here so you don't pass out." Doumeki said, the barest hint of annoyance leaking into his otherwise stoic voice. So, his feelings had been stung. Watanuki felt himself becoming angry.

" If there were any way to do this without your help, I would! Idiot!" Watanuki practically shouted.

"Quiet! Both of you. Save your strength." Yuko turned around and nearly shouted at the duo before returning to her usual calm voice. Watanuki have never actually heard Yuko shout, or even close, at anyone before. In fact, this was the first time that she seemed anything but her usual calm, wise, enigmatic self. A coil of pure fear seemed to wrap itself around Watanuki's guts. He had never seen Yuko so agitated.

The witch, followed by the two young men, finally reached the grounds of Doumeki's family temple. Watanuki heaved a great sigh of relief. Even now, the temple was still mostly clear of the haze and the stifling evil with which it was invested. Doumeki also seemed to stand a little straighter after entering the pure aura of the place, as if a burden had been lifted from him somehow. Perhaps he did have some sense of the miasma, Watanuki thought. Or perhaps that stupid trunk was just as heavy for him as is for me, the smaller boy thought with a smirk. Yuko quirked a quizzical eyebrow almost as if she were answering his unspoken thought, but said nothing. The witch was just a little too creepy sometimes and while he knew that she could not read his thoughts, Yuko-san was an incredibly good guesser. Watanuki frowned. Together, the boys carried the heavy trunk up the stairs and into the purifying embrace of the temple. Yuko directed them to set the trunk in front of her and the witch began to undo the numerous locks and charms sealing the container.

"I believe what we are dealing with is a creature both rare and powerful. It exists in a dimension apart from this and yet its energy can move between worlds. Thus, this miasma is from a being in another world leaking into our own. Like smoke from a battlefield far away drifting over the countryside. There is only one being that I know whose essence would be so dark and so far reaching. He has many names, but the pharaohs called him Set." Yuko explained as she opened the chest.

"Set, the god of the desert?" Doumeki asked.

"How do you know?" Watanuki snapped. Doumeki plugged his left ear and directed his gaze to Yuko.

"Hai, the same. He is also the god of evil and disease, though he is not a true deity. Set is more like a powerful ghost of a long dead demon. Very little of his original body remains." Yuko said with a brief nod and a flat looking smile. Without another word, the witch threw open the chest to reveal an array of fine weapons and armor. She dug through the weapons, which oddly enough seemed to be standing _up_ with their bases _below_ the bottom of the chest. Soon, Yuko had crawling into the chest and disappeared entirely. Watanuki was startled and rushed to the edge of the armory after his employer.

"Yuko-san! Can you hear me!" He called down to the witch. A pair of burgundy colored irises seemed to glow in the darkness of the chest.

"Ah, here it is!" She said gleefully, poking a long arm out of the cavernous war chest. In her hand she held a long blade, carefully sheathed and covered in many wards.

"Gah! careful Yuko-san! You almost took off my nose with that thing!" Watanuki yelped.

"Idiot." Doumeki commented darkly.

"Shut up!" Watanuki snarled back at his classmate, but the golden-eyed boy was apparently ignoring him. The seer glared at him anyway and reached into the chest to help his employer step out of the impossible huge trunk. He looked curiously at the object the witch held in her hand. It was definitely a weapon, something like an extra long dagger with dragons worked into the hilt.

"Doumeki. Please fetch your bow and prepare yourself for battle." Yuko said, sounding a little hollow, "Watanuki stay here and find two suites of armor. One for yourself and one for Doumeki."

"I don't know what size Doumeki wears." Watanuki protested.

"It does not matter. This armor chooses its wearer and the suites which call to you will fit as if they had been made for you." Yuko said.

Her burgundy eyes grew narrow with concentration as she sat gracefully on the floor and hummed to the strange blade cradled in her lap. Soon the hum was more like a drone and the witches eyes burned as the seals began unwrapping themselves from the dagger. Mesmerized and a little frightened, Watanuki tore his eyes away from the witch's spectacle and dove into the chest as she had. The seer found himself inside a large room filled with weapons of every kind and dozens of suites of armor. His breathe caught in his throat at the sheer size of Yuko's "chest". No wonder the damn thing had been so heavy! The place was an armory unto itself! Magnificent shields, ornately decorated with brass and silver fittings, hung on the walls accompanied by long, deadly looking spears. Terrifyingly huge battle axes were mounted beside almost laughable feathered throwing hatchets. Soft, peach colored light diffused the otherwise dark room illuminating long rows of razor-sharp swords of every make and size. Strange, arching scimitars of glowing steel were hung across an entire wall accompanied by gilded bows and an endless assortment of arrowheads. Great baskets filled to the brim with beautifully feathered arrows occupied every corner and supported even larger ballista bolts leaning against the walls. In the center of the room, standing free on faceless manikins, stood an entire army of armored suites with protective helmets in every style and color.

Watanuki walked through the rows of armor, looking at each in awe. Some were of ancient Japanese style, but the leather was well oiled and the metals polished and shining. Whole suites of western chain mail stood glittering beside modern bullet-proof vests. One suite was deep green and seemed to be made of interlocking tree leaves, but closer inspection revealed that each 'leaf' was made of razor sharp oxidized metal. Another suite appeared to have been constructed entirely out of octagonal mirrors, while still others had been carved out of hardened, laquered wood. A whole set of Roman lorica segmentata stood beside a squat ensemble of Mongolian leather armor. Suddenly, an almost white spark caught Watanuki's eye. Curiously, the youth peered around an imposing set of Viking plate armor to glimpse the pure white glint once again. In the far corner of the armory stood an imposing suite of glistening armor painstakingly made from small interlocking panels of pale silver. The entire suite seemed to glow with an inner light so white and pure that at first, Watanuki could hardly bear to look at it. The metal of the armor was even more fair than white gold wedding bands he had seen in jewelry stores. He knew almost without saying that the armor plates were a thousand times harder than either silver or gold.

The magnificent polished panels were connected by strong cords of leather dyed a deep, cobalt blue and accented by inlays of rich lapis lazuli. The suite was simple in construction and clearly of Japanese origin, but the seer had never seen anything even comparable. In the center of the breastplate a prominent insignia of a white fox rampant against an even larger inlay of deep blue lapis lazuli crouched. The eyes of the fox were mismatched…one a blue sapphire and the other dark bronze, just like his own! Watanuki gasped. Unable to stop himself, he reached out to lightly touch the fox insignia and felt the surprising warmth of the metal beneath his hand. His heart began to pound and he could not tear his gaze from the strange white luminescence of the white armor. The mere idea of turning away and leaving the suite behind made the seer almost sick to his stomach. So, this must be the armor Yuko had meant for him to find. He ran his hand over the plates as lovingly as a lover might caress his mate and felt the perfect metal almost vibrate beneath his touch. The helm was rimmed with thin characters of blue lapis inlay and polished to a high sheen reflecting his own entranced gaze. With a soft sigh, the seer lifted the simple crested helm to his face and felt almost as if he were looking into the eyes of an old friend.

Watanuki wanted to put on the armor that very moment, but another thought stopped him just before he rested the glistening helm on his head. He had to find armor for Doumeki too, he could not leave his friend unprotected and Yuko had said that there was little time left. With a sound almost like a snarl, the seer turned from the glistening suite and began a quick survey of the armory. While he had passed many other suites of armor, none of them seemed to fit Doumeki. The Norseman's plates were too heavy and restrictive around the shoulders for the archer to maneuver in, but the polished Mongol's leather was too flimsy to repel a motivated attack. With a sigh, Watanuki searched the armory looking from one piece to another and rejecting them just as quickly. He was growing annoyed and feeling a deep pull to return to his own armor, when he almost walked into the maw of a snarling lion. Startled, the seer stepped back with a gasp.

The helm, unlike most of the others, was not perched on top of the armor but stood on its own stand just at eye level. Shaped like a snarling lion's head with large eye openings and fangs curving up to protect the lower face. The warriors face would actually fit within the lion's mouth! Watanuki found the idea a strange one, but suitable to provide maximum protection and still allow a wide span of vision. Behind the helm, a light-weight suite of chestnut leather and well positioned bronze plates glowed softly in the semi-gloom. The warm glow of the polished bronze reminded Watanuki powerfully of how Doumeki's eyes looked when warm and full of passion. The plates of bronze arched to cover one side of the chest more completely than the other, leaving the right arm more free to move…to pull a bow. The thighs were fully covered in articulating bronze plates and bronze molded to protect important nerves and muscles adorned the leather arms of the suite. Ornately decorated greaves and bracers completed the ferocious war-dress clearly made for an archer. The bronze studded gloves even included a thick leather finger guard for use with a bow. Watanuki ran his hand over the helm, feeling the raised detail of the lion's snarling face. Unlike the suite of white panels, the metal did not hum beneath his hand, but felt warm and comfortable like Doumeki's skin. Yes, this was surely the proper armor for the archer.

With a sigh, Watanuki puzzled how he was going to carry both suites out of the trunk. While he could probably lift one, he would have to make multiple trips to retrieve the other suite and the helmets. Besides, the archer's suite looked rather heavy and the slender seer was not sure how he was going to maneuver it through Yuko's armory without breaking things. As Watanuki was pondering the use of a wheelbarrow, the lion faced helm behind him gave a sudden lurch. With a shriek, Watanuki turned to see the armor rise of its own accord from the manikin and march stiffly towards the opening of the chest. Only a few steps behind it, his own armor moved smoothly around the other pieces to follow Doumeki's suite out of the armory. Watanuki hoped that they were supposed to do that and followed as quickly as his panic stricken muscles would allow.

By the time the seer had dragged himself out of the "chest", Doumeki was already admiring the bronze armor. The archer's eyes were distant and as hot as when they had kissed, but his gaze was fully captured by the armor. Watanuki felt a sharp pang of unease as he looked at the almost loving expression on Doumeki's face as the other boy ran his large hands over the polished leather and shining plates. Before Watanuki could grow suspicious, however, the magnificent white silver panels glittering almost painfully beside him snared his own attention. The armor had moved, again on it own, to stand directly to his left. The seer could feel the faint humming of the metal through the air and when he rested his hands against the suite, the sensual vibrations seemed to fill his whole being. Watanuki felt a desperate urge to put it on.

"This armor is made specifically to express and conform to the totem of the wearer." Yuko said, suddenly standing between the two youths.

"Totems?" Watanuki breathed, unable to tear his gaze from the fox insignia.

"Yes. A totem is the true expression of a person's inner self. A totem usually exists in the form of an animal. Yours, Watanuki, is the fox. The creature is quick and agile, affectionate to its mate and yet cautious. Doumeki, it would seem that your inner essence takes the shape of a lion. It fits, I suppose. You are strong and powerful, but aloof. You are protective and steadfast, but also controlling. To meet one's totem is a difficult thing for it requires a person to confront all that they are and embrace their nature fully." The witch explained, her eyes narrowing at the way each boy caressed his armor.

"I want to put it on." The young seer breathed.

"Me too." The archer replied, his voice low and husky.

"You will, but remember. Only the most powerful shamans can use this armor without being overwhelmed by it. You will need to tap every bit of your inner strength to face Set, but such power comes at a terrible risk. Each of you has the strength to hold onto yourself and you must or the person you are now will cease to exist." The witch cautioned.

"I thought you said the totem was…ourselves?" Watanuki asked, wrenching his eyes from he armor for one uncertain glance at his employer.

"Hai. But there is a difference between a piece of pure, un-worked steal and a fine sword made of the same material. Your lives, your experiences make you who you are just as much as the original essence of the totem. The totem is primal, fundamental and powerful. It seeks to return you to your most fundamental nature. You must resist. You must help each other to resist." Yuko said seriously. Watanuki's mouth became a tight line and Doumeki's gaze darkened.

"We could…lose ourselves?" The seer asked.

"Hai. Only the most fundamental elements of your nature will remain. Even if you resist the armor's influence, once you awaken your totem there is no going back. You will be fully in awareness of yourself. A great price for a great reward." Yuko said, her burgundy eyes hooded and deep.

"Oh yeah? What's the reward?" Watanuki said sarcastically. Yuko looked at him, her burgundy eyes almost purple.

"The reward, Watanuki Kimihiro first of April…is your life." The witch whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

The Fox and the Lion

By Scarlet Tigress

Chapter 6

Every curve, every edge of the glorious armor cleaved to Watanuki's body perfectly. No piece of it was too tight, too loose or too restrictive in any way. The garment moved as he breathed, expanding and contracting with his chest as if a part of his own body. The seer almost felt like he had been dipped in the shining, humming metal. Even more fascinating than the fit of the armor, was what it was doing to his mind. Watanuki felt strength flowing from deep inside himself as if the armor had opened a fountain of primal power he never knew he possessed. For once in his life, Watanuki felt comfortable in his body. He felt how swift and agile his limbs could be and for once he instinctually knew how to move with grace. The vision of the spirit world that he had always found so confusing and upsetting now seemed to lay over his own reality in a comfortable glow. Like watching the world through sunglasses, the seer was aware of both spirits and people and sensitive to each in equal measure. A balance between his own reality and the spirit world had finally been reached.

However, a deep fearfulness had also settled into his spirit. Every shadow, every movement, was understood by his mind as a possible threat to be avoided if possible…or confronted if necessary. Watanuki finally came to the revelation that the true nature of his existence in the universe was as a creature in between. He walked between worlds and saw through their veils. Even when he slept the young seer walked the line between the world of the living and the dead. He was a creature of twilight and dawn, both predator and prey…a fox. He knew instinctually that there was great power in this…this border of existence and yet his conscious mind shied from reaching for it. Watanuki's logical thoughts seemed muffled and slow to his sensitive, instinctual consciousness awakening beneath the armor. With an intense act of will, Watanuki pulled his mind away from the enticing sensations and back to the task at hand. He had to think, he had to plan, he couldn't let the his base instincts take over. To defeat something like a _god_, the seer knew that instinct was not enough.

Doumeki, despite his strength and spiritual purity, found it more difficult to resist the pull of his instincts. The archer was a person who lived by a strict code of control and yet he had always trusted his instincts. Now, those same truthful senses were pulling his conscious mind under in a storm of warring urges. He felt all fear or caution drain away leaving only glowing, golden aggression in its place. As he watched Watanuki make the same inner struggle, a fierce sense of protectiveness rose up within him. The archer wanted to hold the other youth, stroke him, hide him away where nothing could harm him ever again. He felt confident. He felt powerful. He felt unstoppable. Doumeki gasped at the strength that seemed to flow through his limbs as he crushed the wooden banister onto which he had been holding into splinters. Yuko was right. It was too much power to safely handle without being swept away. Even now, his logical mind was screaming for him to regain control and yet it only felt like an echo. The world was full of enticing scents and fascinating movements all of which he could dominate utterly. While exhilarating, the sensation was also frightening and Doumeki fought, trying to clear his thoughts and find the stillness that he had learned through meditating.

The armor felt warm and alive against the archer's flesh. He could feel the totem stirring within him and struggling with him for control. Perhaps this is how it feel to be possessed, Doumeki mused as he tried to force himself to speak, to think…anything! Watanuki stood close by, looking like some kind of mythic spirit in his gleaming silver armor. The seer's figure was so lean, so graceful. Doumeki felt molten lust erupt inside of him and this time he could not repress it. He reached over to capture Watanuki's face and pulled the other youth into a passionate embrace. It seemed as if the armor that the seer wore was only a paper-thin coating over his sleek and shapely muscles. Doumeki ran his hands over Watanuki's body greedily, feeling every detail, while crushing the other boy's mouth against his own. The archer forced Watanuki's lips apart, heedless of the other boy's efforts to speak, and thrust his own tongue into the moist cavern. The seer's mouth was warm and the sensation of his velvety tongue struggling against Doumeki's own made the archer want to howl with pleasure. The scent of the seer's flesh, the pressure of his limbs as he struggled only seemed to fuel the lust burning through Doumeki's brain. The pressure of Watanuki's groin against his thigh was intoxicating and Doumeki ground his hips fiercely against the armor-clad seer. With a snarl of frustration the archer discovered that the slick silver plates denied him the friction he craved. Doumeki set his teeth against Watanuki's lip and felt the other boy struggle in earnest, the scent of fear filling his nostrils.

Suddenly, like a tiny light in a darkened stadium, Doumeki began to become aware that something was wrong. He did not just want Watanuki…no…he...it was more than that…he _loved_ the seer. The other youth was afraid…and that made some small part of him scream. Doumeki's thoughts began to surface. A voice, coming from across the distance, was calling to him. Watanuki, still deliciously firm in his arms was not talking…no…he was whispering. The archer stopped his fevered kiss and strained to listen to the voice that was surely that of the seer, but was not coming from Watanuki's straining lips. Doumeki's mind fought to pull back from oblivion.

The seer was also being dragged under the roaring inferno of passion and yet he fought it. Doumeki was not being himself or rather he was _only_ being himself! The archer was trying to fight the influence of the totem…and losing. While surrender seemed so sweet and so easy, Watanuki could not give in. He could not just give in to Doumeki's caresses and forget about what made his friend who he was. The seer would not let Doumeki's personality simply vanish into the void under an onslaught of instinctual consciousness. Yet there was little he could do. The archer was larger, physically stronger and had him almost completely pinned. In a moment of sheer panic, Watanuki felt the instinctual trepidation of his spirit forge an icy path of terror through his soul. He was caught! He was caught and he couldn't escape! The fear was so intense that the feeling was physically painful, but Watanuki forced his own thoughts to the forefront once again. The fear in his chest quieted to a dull shrieking and he was no longer paralyzed by it. He had to think! He had to protect his logical mind and figure out a way to pull Doumeki back before it was too late. Tentatively, afraid of losing control and being consumed, the seer reached towards his instinctual self. Carefully, he ignored the fear that he knew would overwhelm him utterly and sought an escape. He knew now, as if a light had been turned on in a darkened room, that the universe was made of borders and edges. These places in between were his sanctuary, and perhaps he could find one that would bring him to Doumeki. The seer stilled him self and allowed the power of the totem to give him the knowledge he needed to walk between the world of waking and that of dreams. It was something he now realized he had always done, but now he could do it with clarity and intent.

Watanuki stretched out his consciousness and found a foothold. He knew that he could move between the realities of thought and action, but he had never accomplished anything like this before. The knowledge was only coming to him as an instinct and his own cautious nature dictated that he move slowly, inch by inch, following the thread of Doumeki's consciousness. Like a tightrope walker, the seer balanced between waking and dreaming, reaching to touch Doumeki's mind directly. If he could just manage to communicate, maybe he could save his friend. Suddenly, Watanuki crossed the border out of the quiet darkness and found himself in a thundering maelstrom. He was afraid, but he fought his own nature and pushed forward into Doumeki's mind. Howling winds of desire and emotion surged through Doumeki's consciousness, completely overpowering the archer's logical thoughts. Like a small boat in a storm on the ocean, Doumeki's logical mind was barely even staying afloat. Watanuki shouted into the gale, calling to Doumeki as wave after wave of primal urges crashed against him.

The voice inside Doumeki's head was so faint he could barely even hear it. Part of him wanted to ignore it and pursue his ravishments, but it was Watanuki's voice and that was always hard to ignore. The archer struggled to think and could hardly even remember how! Watanuki was practically screaming, but it was as if the other boy was shouting into the wind and the words were carried away. Doumeki strained to hear him and focused on the seer's words.

"Doumeki! Pull back! Pull back! You have to regain control!" The seer shouted in Doumeki's head.

The archer was suddenly struck by the realization that the totem, his fundamental instinct, was overwhelming him. He fought to bring himself back from the brink, feeling panic set in as his own basic feelings heaved against him. The totem was crushing his mind, the spiritual weight of the urges overwhelming his own mental strength. Escaping it would be like lifting an train car off his chest. The archer pushed, trying to regain control of his own brain. He fell back onto the meditative exercises that his grandfather once taught him, forcing his disordered logic into strict patterns. Doumeki retreated to the place of inner calm that he found when meditating and used his training to rein in the ferocious urges. He pulled his conscious mind up and out of the primitive emotions, but each tiny piece of his own will that he extricated from the totem was like pulling boulders uphill. He broke his kiss with Watanuki and immediately the seer was shouting at him in words as well as thoughts.

"Fight it! Fight it! Come on!" The seer shouted as sweat broke out across Doumeki's brow.

"I…I…want to." Doumeki whispered, struggling.

"You must! You can't just leave me all alone to deal with this thing by myself, you big jerk! Come on Doumeki! You're the one with all the mental training right? Well use it damn it!" The seer scolded, snarling into his face.

Doumeki ground his teeth and freed more of his own consciousness. The archer's will was great and soon the totem was being forced aside, pulled back under control. Where Watanuki had used evasion to control the totem power awakening within him, but Doumeki sought to contain it with the sheer force of his mind. He pushed the urges down, trapped them into a place at the edge of his consciousness. Finally, the archer could think clearly with his instincts only rumbling like distant thunder. He released his hold on the seer, blushing lightly, and focused his thoughts. Doumeki had come very close to losing himself, if he hadn't listened to Watanuki his own personality would have been consumed. With a deep breathe, the archer straightened and looked about the room. Yuko was standing only a few feet away, smiling a very tight smile. Doumeki was not sure how long he had fought the totem, but it seemed like a very long time. Watanuki turned to his employer, a scowl already forming on his face.

"Wasn't that a bit close? You could have said something to us at least!" The seer complained, crossing his arms petulantly.

"Even if I had been shouting, you would not have heard me. Totem magic tends to…pull one inward. You will need this strength if we are to survive this task. Besides, watching you two make out was just so…cute!" The witch grinned, clapping her hands.

"Ugh! I can't believe you were watching us kiss! That's just…just…disgusting! How can you be so perverted!" Watanuki shouted, blushing furiously.

"Who can really say what perversion is anyway? It really is all a matter of perspective, you know." Yuko said philosophically. Watanuki looked sick.

"So now that we have entertained your voyeuristic tendencies, don't we have some evil god thing to kill? Isn't the world on the brink of being destroyed? Or are you just waiting to see if Doumeki is going to lose control again and give you another show?" Watanuki said, tapping his armored foot impatiently.

Yuko smiled, at his characteristic indignation. The youth was truly powerful to have achieved so much control over his totem that his own personality could shine through so easily. With training, Watanuki could easily be the most powerful shaman in a thousand years. As usual, the slender youth was rarely what he seemed. Yuko sighed. She was so relieved that he had been able to master the magic that even she had struggled with. Mokona was right, they were barley adults and Yuko had been terrified that she would lose them to the power of the magic they each now possessed. Doumeki was still looking pale and shaken. Despite the archer's powerful mind, he was obviously still struggling with the power of his fundamental nature. Yuko hoped, for his sake, that his psyche would be strong enough.

"Yuko-san? Did you hear me? I was saying that we should get going. There's no telling when the miasma will begin to pollute the temple too. Why are we just standing around!" Watanuki asked, arms flailing. Even dressed as an avenging spirit, he still managed to look silly. A bit of color returned to Doumeki's face.

"We are waiting." Yuko said enigmatically, polishing the strange sword she had removed from the chest earlier.

"Waiting? I thought time was of the essence, certain doom if we don't act quickly…and now we are waiting…? What in gods name are we waiting for!" Watanuki exploded. Yuko looked over the blade and smiled in satisfaction.

"An Ally." She replied.

"An ally? Who? Why is he late?" Watanuki asked, drumming his foot. Doumeki rolled his eyes.

"He perceives time differently. It is only fitting that the wish I granted for him one hundred years ago should be paid for now. That is the only way to deal with a dragon." The witch replied, looking pleased with her polishing efforts.

"A…D...D…D…Dragon?" Watanuki stuttered.

"Ah! He's here!" Yuko cried as if a handsome date had finally arrived at a party. The witch was even clapping her hands in glee.

She took the strange sword and with a single clean slice to what appeared to be the air in the center of Doumeki's living room. a ripple in space appeared. The ribbon was tiny at first, merely a glimmer of light in the otherwise still air of the temple, but Watanuki could see that it penetrated deeply into space, time and other dimensions. Knowledge imbued by his totem gave him a…sense about such things. As they watched a single, enormous claw pushed through the gap and then another. Soon a massive, clawed foot like that of a bird of prey or maybe a tiger had appeared to stretch the little opening further. The claws were several inches long and glittered like some kind of cut crystal. Watanuki also noted that they looked razor sharp. Even Doumeki's eyes widened when the head of the dragon began to emerge. Its gigantic eyes, each as large as tea saucers, had irises striped green, red and gold with slit pupils like a cat's. Great golden whiskers flowed out of the portal surrounding a face of reddish gold iridescent scales. The beast's teeth were long and white and its chest was plated with pale golden scales that articulated like the belly of a snake. Framing the face and feet were long fringes of glittering mane that looked almost like feathers. As the vast serpentine body emerged, Doumeki began to wonder if the thing was even going to _fit_ in the room!

"Yuko-san, my favorite witch. How are you, dear child?" The dragon spoke with a voice like thunder.

"Khan, my dear friend, it has been many years." Yuko answered, embracing the dragon's great head. Watanuki managed to scrape his jaw off the floor.

"Perhaps to you, small one. For me a hundred years passes in the time of a week. Still, a week is a long time to be away from my favorite child." The dragon practically purred. Watanuki suddenly got the distinct impression that the relationship the two shared was…romantic.

"Perhaps I am a child to you, Great One, but that has never scared you away. Perhaps you really are a dirty old man." The witch teased, stroking the creature's face. The dragon's laughter was so thunderously gleeful that Doumeki almost fell over.

"Old? I am a creature barely into my prime and she calls me old! You sassy girl! I must love you to put up with your teasing!" The dragon said, scooping Yuko into one of its paws and rubbing her against its face.

So the Dimensional Witch was dating a dragon over the course of centuries. Watanuki had never seen Yuko react romantically with anyone and, well, at least she _had_ such feelings. Still, the idea of someone Yuko's size being intimate with that…that creature was enough to leave his head spinning. The mechanics of the whole thing made Watanuki feel like vomiting.

"Ah, and these tiny ones must be the boys you wrote to me about. Let me see, the one whose spirit is too large for his body is surely Watanuki Kimihiro. He has power… but he is still so young. The other boy, Doumeki Shizuka, is so pure of spirit that if I hadn't known better I would have said he was some kind of sprite or… Hold on Yuko. Something is not right here." The Dragon narrowed its eyes and looked at Doumeki closely, sniffing his hair.

"I must confess that I hoped you wouldn't notice." Yuko said with a disappointed sigh.

"They are…so young! The archer is only half a moment older than your seer! Barely an infant and you gave him the power to unlock a totem! They _both_ had met their totems! Do you realize the danger in that?! Are you mad!!!!!" The dragon suddenly snarled at Yuko who still sat unperturbed in his arms. Watanuki was reduced to cowering with his hands over his ears at the dragon's outburst. Doumeki remained standing, but had covered his ears as well.

"No Khan, merely desperate. The boy's spirit makes him vulnerable to Set's spiritual filth. As for Doumeki…well…they are a bit of a matched set." Yuko said cheerfully.

"I suppose you know the risk, child. Still I find your actions terribly bold." The dragon looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Though young, both have met and handled their totems expertly." The witch said, crossing her arms and looking the dragon coldly in it luminous eyes. The creature's expression softened and it spoke to her gently, "Despite my grousing, I have always admired your boldness. Truly, that is why you are my favorite lover." The dragon said affectionately, its monstrous eyes growing soft. Yuko smiled.

"Um, excuse me but, how do I fight Set without a weapon?" Watanuki said, clearing his throat loudly. Anything to keep the…um…_adults_ from getting physical right there in front of him.

"Oh, I almost forgot! This sword is actually for you Watanuki! I believe it will suite your true nature well as it has been forged to cut through time and space. For a creature such as Set who twists the fabric of the universe, you will need it to deal with his illusions. " Yuko said, handing the boy the glistening blade.

"It's…amazing." Watanuki breathed, looking at the magnificent weapon.

"As for you Doumeki, no weapon is more powerful than the purity of your own spirit and your bow. However, your arrows will only pierce beings who are _real_. Set has built himself an army of illusions, woven out of the very fabric of time. Against these, your bow will be worthless. You must trust Watanuki's sight to find the last piece of Set's body and destroy it. Only he can see it and only you will be able to demolish it." Yuko told the archer seriously. He nodded to her silently.

"Yuko, we should join the battle. The others of my race are already struggling against him." The dragon said calmly. Yuko pressed her forehead against his.

"Yes, I know. You, who tread the darkness between worlds have known of Set's evil for a long time. Do not worry, we will help your people. However, you have not forgotten the price of your wish, have you?" Yuko asked raising an eyebrow.

"Ha! I would not dare! Come, climb on and we shall travel to the place between worlds! A great battle awaits us!" Khan said, lowering his body so that the three people could climb onto him.

"What was his wish?" Watanuki whispered to Yuko.

"Hmmm, I shouldn't say, but a ride on the back of a dragon between worlds is very costly. His wish was equal in worth." The witch replied.

"A very big request then?" Watanuki pressed.

"Oh yes. After all, there is only a very small piece of Set left now isn't there?" Yuko said with a smile as they leapt through the little portal into the void.


	7. Chapter 7

The Fox and the Lion

I usually don't delay the action of this particular story by writing to my readers, but this time I believe an apology is in order. I am so sorry for not updating for so long. I was first involved with final exit exams for my master's degree and then in Indonesia for a month. Not that that is any really valid excuse, but there was also the question of how this story has been built up so much for this moment. You can't just built a mountain only to slide down the bunny hill, know what I mean? I had set the stage for major epicness and I wanted this chapter to be…well…epic. Thank you to all those who took the time to read the story and review it, all the reviews that I received helped tremendously. I want to especially thank midnight41 and melancholy dreams and the reader who goes by M, thank you so much for always reviewing for me! You guys are the best! After Indonesia I was tempted to just sort of label the story as being on hiatus and return (maybe) someday to finish it. However, with the amazing reviews people wrote I found that I couldn't just chicken out, even though I had put myself into the position of deliver or die. So, for those of you were diligent enough to write reviews even during my long literary absence, this one is for you. May it be all you have hoped and waited for.

The place between worlds was dark, that was to be expected, but it was not empty. Things flowed through thick mists, coming into existence for a bare moment before winking out again into oblivion. There was no light and yet, sometimes, a form or a shape would achieve illumination only to fade again before becoming clear. Watanuki shivered and wondered if he and Doumeki, too, were only fractionally existent. The young seer wondered if all of them, even Kahn, only dipped into reality for an instant and then lapsed back into the void. Doumeki felt Watanuki shudder and turned to pat his armored thigh. The gesture was affectionate and even comforting despite its strangeness. The seer hugged himself tighter against Doumeki's wide back, musing to himself as the dragon carried them further into the murky darkness. Yuko, riding just behind Kahn's great head was uncharacteristically quiet and only the witch's long flowing hair gave Watanuki any clue that she was still there. The silence was ominous, as if sound could not even be formed in such a place. The thick quiet made Watanuki want to scream just to hear his own voice. The seer rested his cheek against Doumeki's shoulder, content to foster their strange romance in the face of soundless death.

Doumeki felt something light and hot thrill in the pit of his stomach at the seer's touch. Even here, even in a place that was not even really a place at all, Watanuki could set all his senses ablaze. That was the power that the pale ghost-watcher had over him. If he hadn't been so eager for the feelings, Doumeki might have been afraid. However, fear was not a large component of his nature and he yearned for Watanuki's passion more than a drowning man yearned for air. The archer was beginning to understand why he was having such difficulty mastering the armor. Watanuki, at the deepest core of his essence, was _afraid _of feeling too much. When the instinctual madness rumbled within his soul, Watanuki simply retreated, saving his conscious mind. The seer was avoiding the feelings, never engaging or acknowledging the urges. It was only when his own logical mind sought to use the power of the armor that the seer let himself feel the totem. Doumeki, however, was tempted into the inferno and helpless to resist its pull. All he could do was fight the instincts and the archer knew, even now, that he could not fight it forever.

The void opened, shifting before their very eyes into something dark, but solid. At first Watanuki thought he was seeing an ocean of dark waves, moving in a sort of muted synchrony. As they moved closer, however, the peaks of the waves resolved into separate shapes. The seer squinted; trying to see as each shape nodded against the darkness, obscuring the others. Watanuki opened himself to the totem, letting the power of his own fundamental being fuel his sight. He gasped. The blackness stretching beneath Kahn's talons was not an ocean…but an army. The "waves" were great masses, thousands strong, of shadowy soldiers all moving in some sort of obscene meditation. As the dragon flew, they passed uncountable figures, all rhythmically nodding.

"Yuko…there's…there's _millions_ of them." Watanuki whispered, his voice booming in the unnatural quiet.

"Yes, but they are meaningless to you." The witch whispered.

"What?"

"Set's army is only partly present on this plane of existence. He holds them here through the power of dark magic and his own will. They exist on the fringe of reality and so for you, who can see into the cracks between worlds, the soldiers are easy to avoid." Yuko replied.

"What about for Doumeki?" Watanuki whispered, feeling the archer tense against him. Yuko was silent for a heartbeat.

"As long as he rejects Set's deceptions, he can fight them. Do not be distracted by them, Watanuki Kimihiro, look for Set's body. Most likely, he has hidden it somewhere within the army." The witch said, here voice sounding empty.

"Yuko, enough. We are here." Kahn rumbled.

Hovering above the vast, roiling army was a score of dragons. The great beasts whispered to one another and flew uneasily above the shadowy soldiers, staying close to one another. Every so often, a dragon would dive toward the army, spitting fire into the ranks of Set's host. Each time, the gap between the bodies closed almost before the fire ceased and the soldiers continued their mindless nodding. Watanuki shivered. The countless dark beings beneath their feet did not even seem to acknowledge the dragon's attacks. Even more disturbing, the seer could tell that the fire never actually thinned Set's ranks. The soldiers merely faded out of existence to reappear once the danger from the dragons was past. Kahn joined them and was immediately accosted by an enormous white dragon almost twice his own size. Apparently Kahn was not kidding about being relatively young for his kind, the ivory giant made the great golden dragon seem like little more than a child.

"Kahnivon Ri Dukatu! What is this? I ask you to gather our allies and you bring me insects from the Earth world? By the Gods! You might have at least managed a serpent or something while you were at it." The white snarled, flames curling from his jaws in frustration. Yuko yawned.

"They may be young, father, but these creatures are our greatest allies! Behold, the Dimensional Witch and her Seer!" Kahn announced, his head high.

"Good to see you again too, Caironivon Ri Dukatu Ma… Sama." Yuko said formally, nodding her head. Watanuki was not sure how, but the witch managed to make a formal introduction sound sarcastic.

"You! Why my offspring seeks the bed of something so young and tiny is beyond me." The great dragon huffed.

"As I have reminded you before, Kahn's choice of bedmates is no business of yours." Yuko said with just a touch of ice.

"Ah yes, Yuko, let us talk business. It is your forte, is it not? Last time you joined us in battle, you managed to weasel an inter-dimensional taxi service out of us. Not only is such an arrangement unnatural, it is also strictly forbidden. What will it be this time, I wonder? Some sort of dialogue with one of the Gods, perhaps? Something equally blasphemous?" Cair snarled. Yuko smiled.

"Tempting, but my price for this assistance is substantially less irksome. With the dark energy from Set's soldiers leaking into our world, my seer cannot survive for much longer. I bargain my talents in your struggle for his life." The witch said. The dragon frowned, but eyed Watanuki critically.

"He is…more than he appears. I can see why you would not be keen to lose such a powerful shaman. He has not even been opened and already he exudes power. This other…the archer, such a pure spirit!" Cair said sounding almost impressed.

"It would seem that they are far greater assets than you initially realized. Not all things diminutive are unimportant." Kahn said, raising an eyebrow.

"Minutiae is by its nature unimportant." Cair snarled.

"Have you formulated any kind of strategy?" Yuko asked, crossing her arms. She was not interested in hearing what seemed to be a very old argument.

"We have been searching at random for the eye, but Set has hidden it well. Any kind of organized assault is worthless while the eye remains hidden." Cair conceded.

"Good thing I brought a seer." Yuko smirked.

"Humph, even one as fine as this will be unable to find the eye. Even our own seers are blinded." Cair practically shouted.

"Watanuki has met his totem. I believe his power will be sufficient." Yuko said.

"By the Gods! A true shaman then! Still unopened though…aren't you a bit…concerned. Kahn had already opened you when you took the totem…" The dragon asked, looking at Watanuki with something almost like pity. The youth pouted.

"I did not want it this way if that is what you are asking." Yuko snapped.

"Truly child, I am sorry. Desperate times call for desperate measures I suppose." The great white dragon sighed. Watanuki could not tell if the beast was addressing him or Yuko. Doumeki shifted uncomfortably in front of Watanuki.

"Watanuki, release the pipe fox. You will need him to clear enough space for you and Doumeki to land." Yuko instructed.

"L...L…Land? In _that_?" Watanuki yelped, gesturing to the surging waves of nodding shadows.

"How else are you supposed to search for the eye? Besides, Set's creatures wont bother to attack you until you actually threaten the eye anyway. It is taking a vast amount of Set's energy just to keep them here." Yuko explained.

"So we can just go down and stroll around?" Watanuki asked, rasing an eyebrow.

"I never said that. Use the sword to defend Doumeki against any of the creatures that seem different from the others in _any_ way. Not all of these things are mere illusions and Doumeki cannot avoid them the way you can. Doumeki, if anything moves to touch you…shoot it. All you have to do is search for the eye and guide Doumeki to shoot it. Doumeki…do not believe what you are seeing unless Watanuki tells you to…ever. We will distract the army once you find the eye." Yuko said her cranberry eyes hooded and dark.

Grumbling, Watanuki pulled the pipe from beneath his armor and released the fox. The little creature poked its nose from the pipe and then snarled, all its fur on end. Watanuki understood just how the animal felt. Sensing the dark energy, the pipe fox instantly morphed into it larger form to stand in front of the seer. Watanuki could not help but smile as the fox sat beside the seer wreathed in holy fire, snarling at the press of dark troops. Who would have thought a little fluffy snake could be so ferocious? Watanuki laid a comforting hand against the ruddy beast's head and whispered to it. The pipe fox quieted and licked his face affectionately.

"Okay, can you burn some of those things down there?" Watanuki asked. The fox snarled excitedly.

In a single leap, the creature flew from Kahn's back already spitting foxfire down onto the weaving hordes. Unlike the fire produced by the dragon, the fox's flames sent the shadowy troops into a screaming pandemonium. Like paper puppets, the soldiers burned in the inferno and crinkled into nothingness. Shadows ceased moving and moved to avoid the flames, bumping into others and causing even greater confusion. The fox, unmoved by their screams, spat the flames in a wide arch. Even a single tongue of the fox fire could destroy and entire soldier. The creatures seemed almost…flammable. Set's army ignited as if every dark figure had already been splashed with gasoline. The once quiet gloom was deafening with the sound of inhuman screams and the crackle of the sacred flames. Soon a wide path had been cut through the army. Yet the creatures did not fight. They moved to avoid the fire, but never once sought to attack the fox. It was as Yuko said. Merely holding them in reality was sapping a considerable part of the dark god's power.

"Go! Now! Before they reform!" Yuko shouted.

"What?" Watanuki said cupping his ear against the cacophony.

Yuko didn't give the order again. Instead she had Kahn fly them to the field in a stomach wrenching arch. Once close enough the ground, or whatever counted as ground in the place between worlds, the dragon undulated. Watanuki and Doumeki flew off of Kahn's back like two fleas being shaken from a dog, landing side by side on the still smoldering field. Doumeki somehow managed to land on his feet, but the seer tumbled to the ground in a heap. Rubbing his bruised buttocks, Watanuki stood and looked around at the surrounding army. Now free of the fox fire, the soldiers had returned to their inane nodding. Even up close the features of the warriors were still dark and obscure. Watanuki hoped that they weren't trapped souls or something. The thought made him shiver.

Suddenly, a darkened figure moved. The archer's face contorted into firm resolve and Doumeki raised his hand to fit an arrow to his bow. The creature turned and moved to try to stand between Watanuki and Doumeki, but it walked as if trapped in amber. Every flick of the phantom's wrists, every step that it took was so slow! Watanuki felt as though as he had hours to move around the creature and stand at Doumeki's side. He avoided the creature by miles, not even feeling the wind of it's passing. Watanuki stood beside the archer as Doumeki drew the bow back. Doumeki seemed to move as he usually did, but Watanuki could not understand why he was still aiming for the apparition. He tapped on the archer's shoulder, certain that Doumeki wouldn't want to waste the arrow on the creature after the danger was already past. Doumeki jumped in surprise and looked at him. Watanuki had rarely seen his friend affect any kind of facial expression, but he had never seen Doumeki look so confused and stunned.

"What? How did you get over here?" The archer asked.

"What do you mean? It's not like I can't walk and, if you haven't noticed, these things are really slow." Watanuki said, rolling his eyes. Doumeki's face had returned to its normal impassive mask, but the youth's eyes were wide and dilated.

"They are not slow. You are merely avoiding them. You are 'walking' to quickly for me to see." Doumeki whispered. Watanuki's eyes widened.

Two more of the creatures broke from the swaying ranks and shifted, trying to lay their shadowy fingers on the archer. Watanuki ducked behind his friend, pulling the sword from its scabbard and slashing with infinite care. The seer arched the sword, taking the time to slip it neatly into the phantom's neck. He turned and cut the other creature down before it could even turn on its sluggish feet to protect itself. Like a wasp flying between slowly twining trees, the seer stabbed and slashed twice more before the other shadows could even move to separate themselves from throng. Suddenly, Watanuki perceived color. One of the things almost looked like it had a slight blue radiance. Remembering that Yuko had said to look for ones that were different, Watanuki turned to face the thing. While the soldier was not attacking, it was still staring at Doumeki through the empty portals of its eyes. The young seer swung the sword, but at the last moment he insidious shadow blocked the weapon. A dark saber of black fire had caught Watanuki's weapon even as it descended!

"Doumeki! Here! Shoot here!" Watanuki shouted, turning away just as a shining arrow lanced through the darkness, shredding the monster into vapors.

"The eye! Look for the eye!" Doumeki shouted, his bow already taught with another arrow.

Watanuki took a breath and looked, searching the roiling masses for something that would indicate the presence of the eye. The young seer was not sure what the eye would look like, but Yuko seemed to think that he would be able to find it. Watanuki gazed out over the soldiers, but all he could see was dark shapes moving against even darker gloom. Another warrior broke ranks, reaching its clawed hands for Doumeki. Watanuki turned, distracted, and swung the sword at the thing. Even as the blade touched it, the creature screamed and evaporated into nothingness. Three creatures swung towards the archer, but Watanuki dispached them easily. A pair of giants lumbered towards Watanuki and the seer ran with inhuman speed to cut them down, but in doing so he left Doumeki's side. In the split instant that it took Watanuki to dispatch the paired monsters, a sickly green wraith slithered closer to the archer. As the seer turned, another phantom moved to his left, brushing its hand against Doumeki's cheek. The archer screamed in pain and jumped to the side. Even though they moved like flies trapped in butter, the shadows could harm Doumeki if Watanuki allowed them to. A creature with glowing eyes approached, but instead of moving to intercept it Watanuki merely pointed to the beast. A bright chi arrow sizzling with power caught the thing in the chest and it howled. Scarlet blood trickled from Doumeki's face where the monster had touched him. The archer was breathing hard.

"They are trying to distract you! Look for the eye!" He shouted. Watanuki nodded.

The seer once again stilled himself and hunted for the eye. This time it was not only blackness that filled his gaze, but subtle colors too. Just as some of the warriors appeared with color rather than formless darkness, some parts of the army as a whole also seemed to radiate color. To his left, Doumeki loosed another arrow into the shadows causing a cacophony of howls. Watanuki looked, searching for something different…something colorful. The army massed together in rows, but other than how the shadows stood there seemed to be no organization. Watanuki could not tell who was ordering who or if there was some centralized power sending the creatures to attack them. Another arrow burned like a star overhead as Doumeki defended himself. Watanuki tried to see if the shadows were moving from somewhere specific, but everything still looked too vague and muzzy.

"I can't see it! I can't see anything!" Watanuki shouted in frustration. Another arrow burned its way through a soldier reaching for his best friend.

"Then you must be looking for it in the wrong way!" Doumeki shouted, drawing the bow tight once more.

Watanuki stepped closer to Doumeki, hoping to discourage the demons merely by his presence. He looked through the gloom and still saw nothing to indicate anything like an eye of a god. He hissed through clenched teeth, close to panic. He could feel Doumeki behind him, drawing arrows with inhuman speed and precision. Where could the damn thing be? The archer had said he was looking for it in the wrong way, not in the wrong place necessarily, just the wrong way. Watanuki slowed his breathing and concentrated. As he had when Doumeki was struggling against the totem, Watanuki opened himself and stretched out his consciousness, looking for an edge. The seer felt with his psyche like a blind man searching with his fingers, hunting for a corner, a place where one plane met another. The seer found many edges, but none seemed sufficiently deep or open. Watanuki brushed a border and forced himself through the space, using the power of his own fear to make himself small. There, deep in a crevasse between worlds, something was hidden. The seer smiled. There, in a pit of darkness so black no normal eye could ever see it, a small green jewel glowed maliciously.


	8. Chapter 8

Well, I find myself writing yet another apologetic segue into the upcoming chapter. I am sorry, once again, for allowing so much time to pass between posts! I find it frustrating when other authors do it and yet here I am, not doing any better. To those who took the time to read and review the last chapter, thank you so very much! I want to especially thank zeo1fan and deathsdragon for their detailed and extremely helpful reviews. I realize some people are getting frustrated with the absence of romance in the last few chapters, but plot comes first guys! At any rate, I hope that this chapter will be what everyone has been waiting for. Look for the second part of this chapter later this week, it got too long for just one installment.

Doumeki watched the seer concentrate, his lovely amber and cerulean eyes hard and focused as he searched for the dark god's eye. Watanuki seemed to still, his body poised as if in some sort of trance, and then the boy was simply gone. No sound, no warning, one moment the pale youth stood beside him and the next he was gone. Trying to master his shock, Doumeki took a deep breath and aimed another chi arrow at one of the shadowy soldiers moving towards him. Wherever the ghost-watcher had vanished too, he hoped desperately that Watanuki would be okay. Forcing worries about his best friend aside, Doumeki mastered his breathing and shot another arrow. The movements of the dark soldiers were sudden, unnatural. The things seemed to crawl with abrupt, lurching movements. They were as still as statues one moment and blurs of furious motion the next. Only with the ultra sharp, honed instincts lent to him by his totem was Doumeki able to counter them. He moved without thinking, too fast to think, loading the bow and firing in a single, fluid movement. Moments seemed to pass like hours and his arm grew sore and heavy. Doumeki's arrows flew more slowly and the dark army crowded closer.

High above him, the dragons sought to give the archer a reprieve. They dipped and spun, spitting fire into the army as soon as the demons began moving. It seemed once the soldiers engaged Doumeki, that they were no longer safe from the dragon's fire. All around him, shadowy soldiers erupted into crumpling pillars of flame. The air was filled with ash, dragons and savage screams. Every time exhaustion threatened him, Doumeki dipped down into his totem into a seemingly endless reservoir of strength and stamina. While the fine control Watanuki seemed to possess over the primal power still eluded him, Doumeki soon learned that his own soul was a wellspring of physical vigor. Sweat stung his eyes, but his muscles neither cramped nor shook as he drew the bow over and over again. As Kahn whirled above him, Doumeki heard the high, shrieking whistle of Yuko's battle cry.

The witch drove her blade through ranks of the soldiers from Kahn's back, impervious to their wails. The fox stood atop Cair's great head, adding his sacred flames to the dragon's own inferno. The once orderly ranks of Seth's army turned into foaming, writhing chaos. The meditative nodding of Seth's troops turned to rapid, sporadic movement. The soldiers were no longer ignoring the archer as an immediate threat and surged toward him, only kept back by the sheer might of the dragon's breath and talons. Shouting a hasty spell, Yuko landed beside Doumeki as an entire battalion of dark warriors ignited around them. One of the creatures reached to tangle its claws in her long hair only to be batted aside by Kahn as the dragon snarled deep in his great throat. The witch flashed the dragon a fast smile and then turned to help Doumeki hold back the surging horde. The archer had to shout at the witch over the fearful din of the now raging battle.

"Where's Watanuki?" Doumeki demanded.

"Don't worry! He searches, as only he can, for the eye! He has gone into a place between this plane and another! A crack between worlds! A crevice in the very reality of this place!" She yelled back, driving her sword through the belly of an approaching shadow.

"Can he get back?" Doumeki practically snarled, shooting another arrow.

"Of course!" Yuko replied, giddily.

Suddenly, a few feet away, Doumeki saw him. Watanuki stood before them once again and the archer felt a surge of relief. The seer stood, as still as a piece of living marble, his eyes dark and indistinct. Doumeki shot another shadow being over the youth's shoulder, but the pale shaman never even flinched. As if in some sort of trance, Watanuki raised his head and looked at Doumeki. With measured, but steady, steps Watanuki walked towards his friend. The pale seer's face was void of expression as he approached. Doumeki kept his guard up, making sure to target and shoot down Seth's soldiers as the other boy approached.

"Did you find it?" Doumeki asked. Watanuki never ceased in his approach, but said nothing.

"Baka, are you alright?" The archer asked, concern leaking into his usually impassive voice. The seer walked closer, moving to stand only a breath away from Doumeki.

"Doumeki…" The seer whispered, his voice like dry leaves in the rain. Shocked, the archer pulled the other boy to him. Cold fear pounded through Doumeki's veins… He was sure Watanuki had been injured.

"Doumeki! What are you doing?" Yuko shrieked.

Doumeki looked down into the seer's eyes, but saw only empty red orbs staring back. Recoiling in horror, Doumeki reached to set his bow only to discover that the monster had skillfully disarmed him. Cold fingers dug into his thigh and even the armor failed to shield him from the crippling pain. The thing that had disguised itself as his best friend smiled, revealing a mouth filled with needle sharp teeth. The effect was hideous, a perversion of Watanuki's gentle face. Doumeki sought not to vomit from the shock and pain. Too fast to see, the creature raised a blade and suddenly Doumeki was lying on the ground.

The archer struggled to stand and felt wetness strike his face, warm and sticky. It was blood. Confused, Doumeki pressed his hands against his body, but he could not find an injury. With a new and terrible chill, the archer looked up at his adversary. He moaned in anguish at the sight. Above him stood Watanuki Kimihiro, a long blade driven deeply into his side. The creature wearing his beloved friend's face hissed in anger, snapping its jaws like a rabid dog. Watanuki grunted as blood poured from the wound, coating his once shimmering armor. Doumeki was screaming and trying to stand, finally realizing what the seer had done. In a space of time less than a moment, the seer had moved himself between Doumeki and Seth's demon. He had been stabbed with the knife meant to end the archer's life.

Breathing hard, Watanuki grimaced. The pain was terrible, but the totem allowed him to see past it, _through_ it. Pain, it seemed, was only another facet of reality that he could slip away from. In a motion too fast for even the monster before him to comprehend, the seer cut up with his sword. He felt the blade penetrate deep as the creature's sneer turned into an expression of agonized terror. Seth's monster erupted into sickly green flames with a gurgling groan. The threat gone, Watanuki felt the strength drain from his legs. Awkwardly, the boy fell to his knees. He could not die, not yet! His friends, his very world, were depending on him. With a groan, the pale seer tried to rise, but fell back… against something warm. Confused for a moment, Watanuki reached back to brush his fingers against the snarling maw of Doumeki's bloodied helm. With a weak smile, the youth allowed himself to sag against the archer. Darkness was threatening him, growing hazy around the edges of his vision.

Taking a deep, shuttering breath, Watanuki raised his hand and pointed. Moving with power and almost feline grace, Doumeki retrieved his bow. The archer stood, his face an impassive mask, set his mighty bow and fired. The chi arrow arched through space, shining like a meteor. The wretched vestiges of Seth's army cowered, covering their twisted faces against the pure light. The arrow landed and for a moment it seemed the entire world held its breath. A boom, deep and rich like a tyko drum, echoed through the stillness and white fire seemed to arch in all directions. Like the strands of a vast web, the white flames licked across Seth's forces, dissolving them like smoke in a strong wind. The fire moved, twirling and spraying sparks like a roman candle. Even the dragons shut their eyes against the brilliance of Doumeki's chi. The inhuman wailing of Seth's horde rose like an ocean wave and then all was silent.

"By the gods! They did it! The archer has struck Seth's eye! His power is broken!" Cair shouted, his face filled with fierce glee. A cheer went up from the dragons.

"Watanuki…is he…?" Yuko asked, her face pale and filled with fear.

Ignoring the celebration above, Doumeki knelt once again by Watanuki's side, feeling his stomach buck at the sight of the seer's blood on the ground. The wound in Watanuki's side was still sluggishly leaking crimson life out into the place between worlds. Carefully, the archer gathered the boy's cold body into his lap, gently brushing his hand over his lips. Watanuki stirred and opened his eyes, but the deep amber and royal blue were clouded with pain. Doumeki almost laughed in relief. The youth was badly wounded, but at least he was alive. Smiling weakly, Watanuki brushed icy fingers over Doumeki's brow.

"Always…so…serious." The seer breathed, his fingers shaking.

"You saved me." Doumeki stated.

"I owed you one." The seer whispered.

"Move children, let me see to his wound!" Kahn bellowed. Doumeki gently laid Watanuki in front of the dragon as the boy moaned in pain from the movement.

"Please, can you save him?" Doumeki pleaded.

"He can. I bargained with the dragons for his life, remember? Though Kahn's power alone might have been insufficient, now he will be able to help." Yuko said, running her hands affectionately over the young shaman's face. "Oh, Watanuki! I am sorry, it was the only way I knew…" She said, her face impassive. Yet, it was not hard to see that the witch's cranberry eyes were damp with unshed tears.

"Ha! You are a haughty woman! As if I needed your help in the first place!" Kahn rumbled.

The dragon bit roughly into the meat of his left paw. The blood steamed thickly in the cold air. Wincing slightly, Kahn pushed his massive paw against Watanuki's side, letting the boiling fluid run against the wound. The seer cried out and writhed beneath the dragon's grasp, but Kahn held him firm. Doumeki moved forward, but Yuko raised her hand firmly in his path. Still, the archer could not keep from twitching in sympathy as his friend screamed. A plume of white steam rose from the wound.

"I am sorry, little one, but dragon blood can heal any wound. The healing will be worth the pain. Still, I know it is hot." The dragon said with a kind smile.

"It's okay. I've had worse." Watanuki panted with a tired smile as the dragon lifted his paw.

The boy swallowed and tentatively felt his side. The wound was gone, not even a scar! Watanuki's eye widened to the size of saucers and Kahn laughed good naturedly at his surprise. The other dragons whirled above, laughing and sending out sparkling tongues of flame and Watanuki could not help but grin. Doumeki glanced at Yuko and the witch smiled and nodded. The larger youth rushed to kneel beside his friend, noting that a touch of color was creeping back into the seer's face. Sighing in relief, Doumeki crushed Watanuki's body against his own, heedless of the armor. The seer made a small sound of protest, but the archer only released him long enough to tip the shaman's head back. With a hungry sigh, he kissed him. The pale seer's mouth felt cool and soft beneath his own. With a soft moan, the Watanuki melted in his friend's arms, drinking in the heat of Doumeki's passion. The archer's mouth moved over Watanuki's lips, hot and ravenous, until the seer was practically breathless.

"Hmmm. With Seth finally _completely_ dead, it seems we have only one more problem to deal with." Cair said with a sigh.

"Oh?" Yuko asked, tearing her gaze away from where the young men sat embracing each other.

"Yes, your seer…he must be opened." The dragon rumbled.

"Well, surely there is no rush? He is very young…" The witch countered lightly.

"This is no laughing matter Yuko! That boy is far too powerful to be left any longer without a focus, especially since he has met his totem! Your little seer may be the most powerful shaman we have seen in a thousand years and leaving him un-tethered is very dangerous. Not only do we dragons stand to risk, but the boy himself could easily be harmed!" Cair said forcefully.

"I understand Cair, perhaps when we return I may speak to Doumeki about…"

"What? The priestling? You would have a mere…" Cair seemed to grasp for the right word, "A cub, some child exorcist, open a seer of his power? Are you mad woman?" Cair snarled. Yuko's mouth turned down angrily.

"As I am sure you have noticed, they are rather fond of eachother." Yuko hissed.

"Irrelevant, a shaman of this magnitude requires someone wise and careful for his opening. Affection aside, it is dangerous for someone inexperienced and untalented to open him. Even you should be able to understand why this is necessary." The dragon said, more gently. Yuko crossed her arms.

"I understand your concern, but Doumeki is not untalented…" She began.

"Pah! The boy is exceptionally pure, but he is no witch. Only a magic user is capable of properly performing the opening." Cair said with a huff.

"That is a myth!" Yuko said her voice chilly.

"Of course it is! Something like this has not happened in millennia and what you suggest has never been attempted! Do you really want to experiment, when the life of your ward could be at stake?" The dragon asked, his ivory brows raised incredulously.

"No, surely you are right. However, I have no one suitable and it will take a bit of time to search…" The witch said, spreading her hands.

"No. I will not allow you to stall in a matter of such importance. It must be done immediately. Kahn, you seem to have a rather odd attraction to these small creatures, you will open the seer." Cair announced. Kahn's eyes widened. Doumeki raised his head, a look almost like terror on his face.

"But father, I…" The dragon began.

"No!" Doumeki shouted.

"Quiet human! And as for you , Kahn, it is not as if you are inexperienced. You opened Yuko did you not?" Cair said, tossing his head.

"Yes, but…human joinings are very emotional. I worry that Yuko's feelings may suffer if I were to do as you ask. Also, the boy is still weak." Kahn said.

"Her emotions be damned, dragons are not ruled by such petty concerns. You are no fool, be delicate with the boy and he will not suffer. Do you not see the urgency of the situation?" Cair asked.

"Yes, father. I understand and will do as you recommend." Kahn said, settled around Yuko with an almost apologetic undulation of his golden body.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Watanuki asked.

"No! Yuko! You can't!" Doumeki snarled.

"I am sorry Doumeki, but Kahn is right. Sometimes the right thing is not what we would prefer." The witch said with a sigh, rubbing her brow.

Instead of returning directly to the temple, Yuko instructed Watanuki to cleave a path with his blade directly to her home. Still confused about what had just transpired between Yuko and the leader of the dragons, Watanuki did as he was told. The mysterious argument aside, the boy really only wanted was some hot food and to sleep for about a week. As they rode through the darkness between worlds, everyone was very silent. Doumeki clung to him possessively, scowling as if deeply angered. Watanuki wanted to ask again about what Yuko and Cair had said before, but hesitated. He was almost afraid that bringing up what appeared to be a delicate topic might start another argument. Doumeki looked about ready to pounce as it was. Yuko rode almost reclined with her cheek pressed against Kahn's head and her fingers strung through his mane. While the witch did not seem unhappy, she was more reserved than usual. Watanuki had to prevent himself from sighing in relief when the portal to Yuko's home finally came into view.

Without even a wince of hesitation, Kahn thrust himself through the tiny tear between realities to emerge in Yuko's main room. The dragon seemed to fill the space completely, ducking his head to avoid her ceiling. Yuko stepped lightly from his head and turned to face the youths. Watanuki was practically dragged from the dragon's back by Doumeki, who charged for Yuko like an over fueled locomotive. The witch held up a steadying hand.

"Doumeki, there will be time enough for conversation. However, strong emotion is dangerous when wearing the armor. You and Watanuki will both return to the armory and change before anything else happens. I am going to order some take out." Yuko said, her tone one of finality. Doumeki fumed, but stalked out of the room without saying anything.

"Yay! Victory food! Let's buy sake too!" Mokona said, bouncing into the room.

"Yay! Sake! Banzai!" Yuko agreed with a grin as the little black creature jumped to her shoulder.

"Oh, Yuko! I'm too tired to go shopping!" Watanuki complained, crossing his arms indignantly.

"No problem! This celebration calls for the secret stash!" The witch said gleefully.

"Ohhhh! The secret stash! Mokona will get!" The creature said and practically levitated off of Yuko's shoulder.

Kahn laughed at the black bun's antics and suddenly began to quiver. The dragon seemed to condense and vaporize at the same time. Startled, Watanuki stepped back and stared as the dragon's form seemed to swirl before his very eyes. The yards of golden scales seemed to shimmer like a heat mirage and then compress towards the central core of Kahn's body. Soon, the once vast dragon had vanished and in his place stood a figure roughly the size of a man. Watanuki blinked. As the misty vestiges of Kahn's former manifestation slowly receded, a man stood in the dragon's place. Yuko smiled and came to stand next to what appeared to be a mostly human male.

Kahn now appeared to be a tall man of about thirty with long, lustrous golden hair. The glittering golden hair was gathered into a high, shimmering tail that fell well past the creature's waste. Kahn was lean and strong, his human body rippling with muscle in a way eerily similar to how the dragon's coils had moved. Sharply arched ears sporting multiple ridges framed the man's face giving him a fanciful, if severe appearance. An angular, but delicately shaped face with a noble, patrician nose smirked at the seer's shocked expression. Where the dragon had once been covered in metallic scales, now Kahn's skin glowed tan with the barest hint of metallic gold. He was, for lack of a better term, simply stunning. The dragon wore a red and gold kimono, belted open over soft, flowing pants. His feet were bare, lean and graceful looking, with just the barest hint of claw around the toenails. The only part of him that was unchanged where his striking golden and red eyes, which still glowed with inhuman intensity form the smiling face.

Finally realizing that he had been staring open mouthed like a beached trout, Watanuki shut his mouth with an audible click. Kahn threw his head back and laughed. The voice of the dragon was wholly unchanged, and he still rumbled with terrific volume. The very walls of Yuko's home seemed to quake.

"You seem surprised, little one. Surely it is not so hard to guess that a being of many worlds might not have many forms?" Kahn asked, his strange eyes sparkling in mirth.

"Lord Kahn! Lord Kahn! Lord Kahn has returned!" Suddenly Yuko's little minions, Maru and Moru burst into the room.

The girls laughed and launched themselves towards Kahn, dancing around the dragon in a hyper circle. Yuko smiled, glad to see her little creatures appeared to be unharmed by the miasma. Watanuki mustered what dignity he could and removed his helm. He was shocked at how difficult it seemed to remove the armor, his flesh almost cried for the metal to be returned. Shivering uneasily, Watanuki began to remove the rest of the shimmering plates.

"Kahn, you are as ravishing as ever." Yuko said, coming to stand next to the dragon, he pulled her into an affectionate embrace.

"Hmmm, my tiny lover, it has been too long." Kahn purred.

"What about Watanuki's opening?" Yuko asked, a note of concern in her voice.

"Though my father is rightly worried, I do not see the harm in waiting a day or two. The child is clearly exhausted and such a victory calls for some celebration. Let us worry about it tomorrow." Kahn said, running a hand through Yuko's hair. The witch smiled.

"I think that might be wise." She replied, moving her head into his touch like a cat.

"Wait! What is this opening business? What is going on?" Watanuki asked, tapping his foot in annoyance.

Kahn stepped towards the youth, looking into his eyes with the hot and unflinching gaze of something more than human. The seer shivered and did not know why. The dragon lifted a hand and gently stroked Watanuki's face, his touch very hot and yet gentle.

"Do not worry, young one. It will be alright, you will not be harmed. I will make it very good." The dragon promised, stroking the youth's face with his knuckles.

Watanuki gasped, and took a step back. No one had ever touched him so intimately…except Doumeki. He was confused and a little bit afraid. Yuko watched his reaction with closed, hooded eyes. The witch seemed to hesitate and then made a decision.

"I will answer all your questions tomorrow, Watanuki-kun. For tonight, you need to rest. You will spend the night here and we will all relax a bit. The armory now resides within the far west bedroom. Go find Doumeki and remove the armor now. It will already be difficult to resist its attraction and Doumeki might require your assistance to take it off. Please bathe also." The witch said firmly, gesturing towards the doorway.

"Wait! Don't I get a say in this whole 'opening' thing? And what the hell do you mean the armory is back? Why did I have to carry the thing all the way to Doumeki's in the first place if it can just move around on its own? It was heavy you know!" Watanuki asked face flushed in aggravation.

"No, unfortunately not. It is something all shamans must do." Yuko said, with a wistful smile.

"Wait! When did I become a shaman?" Watanuki asked, his voice cracking in annoyance.

"Hard to say, when does one truly become an adult? There is no easy way to tell." Kahn said, settling a hand on Watanuki's shoulder. The boy trembled beneath the touch. He did not like the sound of that.

"Go now, dinner will be here soon. Come Kahn, let's have a bath!" The witch said with a happy smile before taking the dragon by the hand and tugging him towards her bedroom.

Left alone with the girls, Watanuki had no choice but to follow Yuko's instructions and head towards the west end of the house. He found Doumeki sulking in the outer hallway, and tugged him wordlessly toward the armory's current location. As usual, Doumeki was completely silent, but this time his silence seemed to hold a sense of menace and anger. Watanuki bit his lip, not knowing what to say or even why his friend was so upset. Everyone seemed to know what was going on except for him. The seer would have been angry if he hadn't been so tired. They changed in silence, finding clean bathrobes waiting for them beside the armory chest. The seer brushed a hand through his sweaty hair, suddenly exhausted. Only the promise of dinner kept him from collapsing on the spot. He would just have to wait until tomorrow to ask about Doumeki's mood.

Yuko stretched herself on top of Kahn's warm body, enjoying the heat of his flesh as she trailed kisses over his shoulder. The dragon rippled beneath her, evidence of his growing passion hard against his belly. Every muscular plane and every satiny inch of flesh was just as she remembered. The dragon rumbled his pleasure beneath her, moving his hands in lazy circles over her back.

"Are you hungry again, little witch?" He whispered.

"After one hundred years? I'm ravenous." She smiled a coy little smile, as she licked one of the dramatic ridges of his ear.

The dragon moaned, arching beneath her, his hands moving to cup her ass beneath the silky sheets. She had not forgotten how sensitive his ears were. Yuko took the lobe of his ear in her teeth, biting gently as she ground her hips against him. With a gasp, Khan moved one of his hands to her generous breasts. Her flesh was flushed and ruddy both from drink and lust. He cupped her breast gently and rubbed his thumb over her nipple. He could feel the warmth between her legs against his own flesh and knew she was almost ready. Yuko released his ear to moan, arching her back with feline want. She moved her mouth to his neck and bit down hard.

"Hmmm, you're rough when you're drunk." He purred, wincing as her sharp teeth pierced the skin of his throat.

"Wouldn't want you to forget me." She whispered.

"Never. Dragons can't forget." He soothed, stroking her hair.

"I want to ride you again…" The witch said with a smirk.

"Hmm, I certainly would not stop you." Kahn said, feigning helplessness.

With a moan, Yuko moved her mouth down his body, nipping and sucking at the golden flesh. She took one of his nipples between her fingers and tugged gently, eliciting another small gasp from her lover. The witch spread her hands over his pectoral muscles, gently grazing her nails over the smooth skin. Kahn purred again, stroking her breasts, enjoying the silken texture of her skin. She was so lovely, even for a lesser being. His foolish father could never understand the passion that the witch kindled within him. Kahn sighed as Yuko tongued his navel, quivering beneath her clever mouth. The witch brought her hand lower to cup his testicles, stimulating the delicate flesh with her fingers.

"Careful, I am hotter than a human male." The dragon cautioned as she moved lower.

"I like heat." Yuko purred as she lathed her tongue over his weeping length.

Even with well over a millennia of experience, Kahn's mind still froze at the electricity of her touch. Her mouth, so cool and wet, sent quivers all through his flesh. The dragon had to wind his fingers into the sheets to keep form shouting aloud. He grunted, holding his lip beneath his teeth as she licked at the near boiling fluid from his hard length. Yuko lapped the hot precum, rubbing her tongue boldly into the slit at his crest, until Kahn was practically thrashing beneath her. Taking a breath, the witch lowered her mouth and engulfed him in a single movement. Kahn cried out and settled his hand on her head as his hips bucked into her mouth of their own accord. Heedless of his size, Yuko swallowed him to the hilt, swallowing with practiced skill against the hot satin of his organ. She compressed her lips around him, pressing hard against the pulsing length of his body.

"Woman…my gods! You undo me!" Kahn cried beneath her, cupping her cheek to feel his own bulk move within her mouth.

Yuko moaned, letting her throat vibrate against his cock as she moved up and down over Kahn's length. She could tell from the hot swelling of the bulbous head, that Kahn was close. The witch raked her teeth lightly over him as she finally released him form the close wetness of her mouth. Kahn groaned in frustration. With inhuman strength, the dragon hauled Yuko back up over his body. He kissed her lips, savoring the taste of his own essence on her lips. Rocking her hips suggestively, Yuko brushed her own moist sex over his sensitized hardness. Grinding his teeth in frustration, Kahn lifted her hips and impaled her in a single fluid movement. Yuko moaned as her body was stretched by his slick length, the ridges of him grinding like stoked embers over her eager clitoris. With a practiced surge of her hips, Yuko moaned as he rose up beneath her.

They rocked together, like the waves of a wind tossed ocean, sweat mixing as Kahn pushed into her. He was thicker than a human man and the delicate pain of his entry was swallowed by the mind numbing pleasure as the dragon moved within her. Yuko moaned, kissing him with fevered need. He gripped her hips, moving her body in sync to his rhythm. Yuko gasped, and threw her head back, her sweat soaked hair lashing his chest. She was close, a deep quiver settling into her flesh as the dragon moved into a near sitting positon. He grunted as he thrust into her, teeth ground in concentration. He would not cum, not now. He rubbed his hand over the sweat slicked muscles of her back as his other hand cupped her buttock firm against him. With a gasp and a deep contraction of her deep muscle, Yuko cried out and went loose against him. Kahn shut his eyes, fighting against the deep squeeze against his cock, trying not to cum.

"Are you tired lover?" Yuko asked, as she turned molten crimson eyes to Kahn's own heated gaze.

"Oh, no my love. A dragon's endurance is great, though you test me…" Kahn said, brushing the sweat soaked hair from her face.

Without another word, Kahn rose onto his knees and pulled her back against him as another heated moan was torn from her lips.


	9. Chapter 9

Okay, one total computer meltdown, 3 blizzards and one pet medical emergency later, I am back! There is no point in talking about how long it has been since I posted since practically a whole year has passed. Aaaahhhh! How did that happen? However, it is tough to write without a computer and I am NOT going to be caught writing yaoi erotica at the local public library! So, by necessity I am very late in posting and I hope I haven't lost my touch just yet! This lemon has been a LONG time in coming, much longer than I had planned, and I desperately hope it is worth the wait. Thank you to those who sent reviews, you are awesome people for taking the time and I deeply appreciate the feedback, I know everyone is busy. It is no lie when I say that this chapter would not have been written if not for those fantastic reviews! Please, continue to keep me posted on what you think. Thank you!

Watanuki had obviously moved to lie down on the soft futon Yuko had provided and fallen asleep before hitting the surface. The exhausted seer had not even managed to remove his glasses before collapsing. Doumeki watched his sleeping form from the hall and felt his own fatigue like a cloak of lead pulling him down. His muscles ached and his spirit felt weak and drained, the archer was tired in every way a person could be and yet he could not sleep. Anger, deep and cold, gnawed at the boy's soul. Now more than ever, Doumeki knew that Watanuki's body was rightfully _his_ and the pale seer knew it too though he was still too innocent to fully accept his protector's affections. Yet the witch hands over his prize to some dragon prince whom Watanuki had barely met! Despite the gravity of the situation, the seer did not even stir in his sleep, his breathing deep and even.

"Why shouldn't he sleep?" Doumeki thought angrily. Watanuki had made the fact that he had no idea what an opening entailed painfully obvious to everyone. Surely the pale youth would not sleep so deeply if he had realized that his virginity was what Cair had been talking about. Doumeki knew enough about the needs of shamans from Haruka to understand, at least peripherally, what the argument had been about. Shamans channeled tremendous primal energies and struggled to control both the power at their disposal and their own reaction to it. Without a powerful link to another being, shamans walked a dangerous edge between sorcery and madness. A mad shaman was something all worlds feared and one of Watanuki's native power would be an absolute cataclysm. In many ways, shamans were fragile creatures, conduits for unfathomable power and easily broken by the energy that they wielded. Doumeki closed a trembling hand into a tight fist. Watanuki had always been special, unique, but the archer had never imagined that his friend was a budding _shaman_. Nevertheless, the archer knew he was strong enough to anchor Watanuki's power even if he was merely a mortal. Besides, once the seer awoke to his abilities, Doumeki would remain mortal only as long as Watanuki wished it…There was no reason that Doumeki couldn't be his first.

Watanuki, as if troubled by a sudden dream, moaned a little and moved to his side. The loose robe he wore fell open, exposing the firm porcelain planes of the ghost watcher's muscular chest. Doumeki remembered the velvet softness of that flesh and hardened at the memory. The light was soft on Watanuki's pale face, casting subtle shadows against his smooth black hair. He looked so lovely…so vulnerable. Doumeki clenched his eyes as the thought provoked deep, possessive feelings of want and fevered arousal. It was the seer's vulnerability that drew him most, an odd compliment to the youth's effortless power and something Doumeki found utterly irresistible. He wanted, more than anything, to walk into that room and take the sleeping youth. He wanted to dominate him, make him scream his name, mark him so that everyone in this world, and every other knew, that Watanuki Kimihiro belonged, body and soul, to Doumeki Shizuka. The darker part of his nature wanted to be fought against and to prevail, to take what should have been rightfully his. The archer knew Watanuki was not ready, but would he be any more ready for Kahn? The thought of Watanuki beneath that creature, whimpering in virginal pain, made his blood boil.

Doumeki had laid awake for hours trying to bring the jealous rage under his control. He had meditated, practiced his breathing and all but begged his ancestors for the strength of spirit to lock the feelings away. Still, how could the archer rest knowing that the person he loved above all others would be given away to another? Rage at the thought of Watanuki in another's arms, any arms but his own, burned through Doumeki's mind, erasing his exhaustion. He had longed for the seer for so long, for _years,_ and just when the archer's deepest, most intimate wish seemed to be granted…Doumeki ground his teeth. His grandfather would have advised caution. The old man would have told him to be calm, to be patient. Haruka was never fooled by his silence, his grandfather knew better than anyone the depth of Doumeki's emotions. Especially his anger. The boy was not angered easily, but Doumeki's rage was something almost alive in its own right: vast, powerful and consuming. The archer had been cautioned more than once never to approach a loved one in anger and he knew the advice to be sound. He did not want to hurt Watanuki.

Still, what could his grandfather have known about something like this? The advice he had given had been for an eleven-year-old boy struggling to make friends, not a furious young man on the brink of raping his best friend. Yes, that it what it would be: rape, if Watanuki did not yield. Would Watanuki, so easily embarrassed and clearly exhausted, yield to him? Doumeki suddenly felt nauseous and shuddered. He was disgusted with himself, he was nothing better than another assailant to the already tormented seer. He wanted to be better, more noble… The archer felt helpless against the primal needs surfacing within his nature, urges he could no longer ignore. He wanted to totally dominate Watanuki, claim the seer so that the boy would be his alone to protect. The archer hated himself, but could no longer turn away from the truth and go on believing that he merely loved the seer. No, the emotion was deeper and darker than that. He loved Watanuki, desperately…but not enough to allow someone else to have him. Maybe the feeling would have been different if he hadn't known that Watanuki cared for him and wanted him in return. If Watanuki would resist him, surely he would fight Kahn just as hard and if the ghost watcher was going to struggle against anyone and be overcome, Doumeki wanted it to be _him_.

Doumeki's seething mind stilled as he made his decision. Watanuki might not be ready, but they had run out of time. Cair had seen to that. The whole thing would be worse if performed by someone Watanuki did not even know and Doumeki had been well schooled by his grandfather's books. He knew what to do to make it feel good and he was the one the seer wanted. The pain of guilty indecision was washed away by hot, ferocious desire. Doumeki moved to step into the room as a shadow emerged from the other side of the door. Doumeki's eyes widened as Yuko stepped into the low light.

"You knew I would come." The archer stated, his eyes carrying a chilly warning. Yuko nodded.

"I have not come to stop you. It is hitsuzen, fate. You have made your decision." The witch stated.

"Yes. He is mine. He wants me." Doumeki replied. Yuko's face was inscrutable.

"This too will have a price." She replied.

"I will pay it. He will be mine." Doumeki practically snarled. She nodded and Doumeki had the uncomfortable feeling that he had made a contract with the witch.

"Be gentle. Take this." She said, handing him a small flask. Doumeki opened it with a suspicious sniff. His eyes widened.

"Aloe Vera?" He asked, but the dimensional witch was gone.

OoOoOoO

Watanuki slept deeply, but his dreams were troubled. The seer dreamed he was falling, falling through the very cracks of time and space that appeared everywhere, into the black oblivion beyond. Passages through everything, openings and edges everywhere, and nothing solid to hold onto… The seer felt his heart pounding, but the dream gripped him fiercely. Something, a presence, stirred him though he had heard no sound. With a start, Watanuki returned to consciousness muddled and confused.

At first all he could see was hot gold and shadows, but his vision slowly resolved into Doumeki crouched beside him with his face not an inch from his nose. The archer was leaning over him like some kind of huge cat over a mouse, his gold eyes hot and intense. Not knowing why, Watanuki immediately felt a bit intimidated by his friend and flinched away from Doumeki. The seer trusted Doumeki with his life, but the other boy was just a little close for comfort and his body language was faintly aggressive. Watanuki gulped, he hated feeling trapped and the archer was just too damn close.

"You scared the shit out of me! I was having a nightmare and then you woke me up and were crouched over me like some kind of monster…jeez! Do you have any conception of personal space?" Watanuki sniped.

"Not when it comes to intimacy." The archer replied, moving even closer.

His breath was hot against Watanuki's skin and the pale youth shivered despite himself. Not once had Doumeki blinked as he settled his weight over Watanuki's limbs and the boy felt his inner self, his fox totem, begin to panic at the feeling of being held down. Still Watanuki fought his instincts. The archer was his friend and had always protected him. Logic dictated that he not freak out over the fact that Doumeki was acting a little weird.

"Intimacy?" Watanuki gasped.

"Yes, intimacy." Doumeki whispered huskily, running one of his long fingers boldly over the seam between Watanuki's legs. The seer's strange mismatched eyes grew large with shock.

"I…I…I am seriously NOT ready to be that intimate with you!" Watanuki practically shouted, blushing hotly.

"I will not have you surrender your virginity to anyone else." Doumeki growled. His hands moved to the seer's wrists, encircling the slender width with a grip like iron. Watanuki tried to shift away from Doumeki, but found his body firmly pinned under the other youth.

"That is not really your decision to make. I am not ready to sleep with you or anybody else! What has gotten into you? You are even more of an overbearing jerk than usual!" Watanuki hissed fiercely. He tried to buck Doumeki off, but the other boy was considerably larger and had positioned himself over Watanuki for maximum leverage.

"You are a shaman and you must be opened to fully access your power. I will open you and become your anchor." Doumeki said as he bent to nuzzle Watanuki's neck.

"Why does this have to happen NOW!" Watanuki snarled, raising his knee threateningly close to Doumeki's crotch.

"I will make it feel good, I know what to do…" Doumeki whispered as he shifted his weight to escape the knee and kissed the seer's ear.

Watanuki felt heat race up his spine at the archer's touch, but with it came a thrill of fear. Yuko had said to take his time and Watanuki knew he was not ready for whatever was about to happen to him. Yuko had said sex between men could be rough…

"Doumeki Shizuka: Let. Me. Up. Now!" Watanuki ordered, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice. Doumeki's body was moving against his own and it was all he could do not to respond.

"No. I won't wait any longer." The archer said against the flesh of his neck, his teeth grazing lightly against Watanuki's throat.

Whatever it was that the seer had meant to say flew from his mind as Doumeki shifted his wrists into one hand and moved to cup his sex in the other. Watanuki bit his lip to halt the heated moan from escaping his lips as the archer ran his thumb over the top of the seer's penis through the fabric of his pants. Electric heat raced up Watanuki's spine, burning away any fatigue or coherent thought the youth had left in his brain. Doumeki kissed the pale column of Watanuki's neck, enthralled by the silky smoothness of the shaman's skin. He ran his tongue boldly over Watanuki's pulse and felt himself swell as the other youth struggled beneath him. Panting, Watanuki whimpered as Doumeki ravished his throat, nipping the heated skin as the archer's free hand stroked his sex.

Despite the fact that he was being held down and molested in his boss's house, Watanuki could feel himself hardening under Doumeki's clever fingers. The archer stroked him roughly through his sleep-pants one moment only to apply delicate pressure at the tip of Watanuki's erection the next. The touch forced waves of pleasure through Watanuki's body until he was gasping with the force of the sensation. Once his body had swollen into hardness, the archer moved his hand into the opening of Watanuki's kimono. The pale youth practically shrieked as Doumeki stroked his nipple with his knuckles forcing an explosion of pleasure to race through Watanuki's skin.

"Stop…stop…" Watanuki panted into Doumeki's ear.

The seer was losing himself, drowning in the primal passion held caged within his soul. If he didn't get away now, Watanuki was not sure if he could stop himself from responding. Damn it! He didn't _want_ to respond, didn't want to encourage Doumeki any more than he already was and he _definitely_ did not want to be raped. Still, the archer knew what he was doing and Watanuki was helpless against him. Doumeki touched him and his belly clenched at the force of the pleasure radiating through his body. The seer was afraid, but he was also aroused and the combination of the two emotions was weakening the feeble control he had over his nature. All the passion that had been building within the seer for his best friend was suddenly running like molten lava through his veins, turning his mind to ash. Watanuki increased his struggles, letting the full force of his panic at being held down overwhelm him in an effort to get away.

The boy thrashed beneath him, but Doumeki reached into the ocean of untapped strength unlocked by his totem and held Watanuki down with a heated grunt. The struggles of the seer only excited him more as Watanuki kicked and writhed beneath his hardened erection. The thrill of the struggle brought something dark and primal from within Doumeki's mind and the archer made a sound almost like a snarl as he tore open Watanuki's kimono. The seer gasped, his cobalt and tawny eyes growing huge with both fear and surprise. Doumeki used the opportunity to cover his classmate's lips with his own, forcing the other youth's mouth open by setting his teeth on Watanuki's lower lip.

The seer quivered as he obeyed Doumeki's unspoken demand and opened his mouth to let the archer enter him with his tongue. With a satisfied purr, Doumeki plunged his tongue into Watanuki's mouth savoring the other youth's submission. The seer's tongue dueled with his own, it's velvety strength trying to push him out, but Doumeki was too strong. Watanuki hissed against Doumeki's rough lips and struggled again, but the archer only shifted his weight and snarled in warning. Watanuki's body stiffened beneath him.

"Just relax. Yield to me, it will be better." Doumeki growled softly against Watanuki's lips.

"Get off! I…I don't want it this way! I need more time!" Watanuki snarled as the archer moved to press his burning lips against his neck once again.

"We are out of time. Yield." Doumeki ordered, thrusting a knee between Watanuki's legs to lean his thigh against the seer's hard shaft.

"N…No…" Watanuki gasped, as angry tears slid from the corners of his eyes. He was responding, his body was singing with carnal pleasure and he had no control. Despite the fact that it felt so good, the seer wanted to have a say in this, he wanted a _choice_!

"You are already hard for me, why fight me? I know you want it." Doumeki purred as he licked the salty tears from Watanuki's flushed face.

"I don't! Not like this!" Watanuki hissed, turning his burning eyes away from the archer's face. He could not deny the truth of Doumeki's words. His flesh was hot and hard, but his mind was filled with frustration.

Doumeki paused, looking down into Watanuki's angry face. The seer was breathing hard, tears gathered in his eyes with his teeth clenched against the feral pleasure Doumeki was awakening in his flesh. His clothes were in disarray, revealing just the barest hint of pink of the shaman's nipples against the porcelain planes of his heaving chest. The sight was both stirring and painful, but Doumeki knew he wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop. They had gone too far.

"Yield to me or have Kahn take you instead." Doumeki whispered coldly.

"W…What?" Watanuki asked, his stomach lurching sickly.

"Kahn, he will open you unless you yield to me. The dragon will take your virginity." Doumeki said, his amber eyes hot and feral.

"B…But…I…I'm not ready…" Watanuki stuttered.

"You are mine Watanuki Kimihiro. Yield." Doumeki growled. Watanuki licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry. He nodded. What choice did he have?

Doumeki kissed him, his lips hot and possessive, demanding. With a shaky moan, Watanuki willingly opened his mouth and sucked Doumeki's tongue submissively. Doumeki sighed above him, satisfied with the seer's response to his demands as he stroked Watanuki's tongue with his own. The velvet heat of Doumeki's mouth made Watanuki tremble and a small moan escaped his lips. Slowly, Doumeki released his wrists as Watanuki quivered against him. The smaller youth flexed his hands, but made no move to get away. Better with Doumeki than someone he didn't know, better this than fighting and being taken anyway, but fear still tightened his guts. The archer chased the worry from the shaman's mind as he ran his thumbnail roughly over the hard ridge of Watanuki's arousal. The gesture caused the smaller youth to gasp against his mouth, his body rising against Doumeki's hand.

"I want you. I want all of you. You are _mine_. " Doumeki whispered as he ground his hips against the seer.

Watanuki said nothing, too caught up in the heat blossoming low in his belly to fully comprehend Doumeki's words. His hands, nervous in their freedom, clutched at Doumeki's kimono and the archer obligingly shed the cumbersome material. The heat of Doumeki's naked chest felt like a furnace against Watanuki's body, burning away his control. With a deep moan, Watanuki gave into the need and brushed his lips over Doumeki's pectorals, delighting in the round hardness of the archer's muscles. Doumeki's arms, hard and powerful like iron cables, closed around the seer's body holding the quivering youth against his chest. Hot tears coursed down Watanuki's face as he rocked himself against Doumeki's erection, grinding against his assailant in wonton shame. The exorcist lapped up his tears, rumbling in passion and approval of Watanuki's surrender.

Watanuki's kimono fell from his shoulders, exposing the porcelain perfection of his skin to Doumeki's hungry eyes. The archer kissed his chest, boldly sucking his sensitive nipples until the seer arched with desire. Watanuki dug his fists into the fabric of the futon, biting his lip to keep from screaming as Doumeki bit the tender flesh. The archer's teeth send bolts of raw, hot need coursing through Watanuki's body along with the delicate pain. The seer felt Doumeki pluck his glasses from the bridge of his nose with his teeth and shivered at the action. The glasses were tossed aside.

They moved against each other, finding a rhythm as Doumeki grazed his teeth over the flesh of Watanuki's neck and shoulder. The seer moaned against his friend's neck, his skin tingling and his hips moving of their own accord. The soft sleep pants each of them had been wearing slipped away to land in a heap and Doumeki stroked his fingers over Watanuki's naked arousal. Fire arched its way up Watanuki's spine at the touch, the intensity of it washing the very air from his lungs. Before he could recover, Doumeki was running his thumb boldly over the slit, spreading the glistening pre-cum over the length and head of the seer's shaft. His fingers slick with the hot fluid, Doumeki proceeded to _rub_ him in the most maddening way possible until sparks flew behind Watanuki's eyelids and the seer was fighting hard not to scream. The archer brought his fingers to his lips and licked them, looking entirely too feline in the action for Watanuki's comfort. Until then, the seer had been too consumed with the sensations in his own body to notice anything else, but as he looked at Doumeki something caught his eye.

"Shit! I didn't…I mean…Oh, uh…I, uh, didn't know how big you are!" The seer panted, his eyes like saucers.

"Relax. You'll stretch."

"No, no this is NOT going to work!" Watanuki yelped.

"Relax. I'll make it good." Doumeki purred, before silencing the other youth by running his tongue over the hard flesh before him.

The youth did scream then, heedless of Yuko or any of the others hearing him. His mind was a blank, brilliant field of white as the heat of Doumeki's tongue caressed his skin. The velvet pressure of Doumeki's mouth as the archer engulfed him seemed to shock every muscle of his body into attention. The archer's lips were strong and hot around him, tight to the point of discomfort and then soft as he sucked. Doumeki's tongue was making firm circles against his flesh, each stroke tightening the seer's belly until he was at his brink.

"D…D…Doumeki…Ahhhh! Stop!" Watanuki wailed, but the archer was not listening.

The pressure that had been building in Watanuki's groin reached its maximum and his balls tightened almost to the point of pain. The all-consuming pleasure reached it's peak and cascaded through the youth like a tidal wave. The seer arched like a greenwood bow off of the futon as he came in trembling ecstasy into Doumeki's mouth. The exorcist choked for only a moment before swallowing the rest with a deep rumble of satisfaction.

Watanuki lay panting, one hand thrown over his face, trying to still the quivering that had settled into his spine. His muscles felt like jelly, weak with the force of his orgasm. Doumeki rose between his legs, licking his lips obscenely, his face flushed and hungry.

"Delicious." He whispered.

"Y…You're disgusting." Watanuki shot back weakly.

The archer said nothing, but moved to turn Watanuki over onto his stomach. The seer landed against his pillow with a soft 'oomph' as he tried to rise onto his elbows.

"What are you doing?" Watanuki hissed.

"It's time. You're ready." Was the archer's only reply.

Before Watanuki could respond to the cryptic remark, he felt something cold and slick press against his opening. It was Douemi's finger, it had to be…the youth swallowed hard. He had NEVER been touched in that place before and was instantly filled with panic.

"D…D…Doumeki…" Watanuki warned, his voice high and frightened.

"Shhhh, it's ok." The archer whispered back as he spread the gel over Watanuki's virgin entrance.

The exorcist took his time, letting the gel warm a bit in his hand before spreading it over Watanuki's quivering opening. With his finger, he tucked the gel into the tight passage, massaging the tiny pucker until Watanuki was moaning softly from the intimate pleasure. He raised the seer's hips a bit, rubbing his lower back to loosen the muscles that were hard and tight with fear.

"Relax…"

"Easy for YOU to say! You're not the one lying here waiting for that THING to…oh Kami!" Watanuki panted as something forced it's way inside of him, deep into a place never touched before.

"Do it or this will hurt."

Watanuki bit his lip and tried, but he was so afraid. This was not going to work, how could it work? How could Yuko possibly think that the pleasure would overwhelm the pain? The boy panted, trying to adjust to the presence within his body. He felt so tight, so full, totally open and exposed.

"W…What is that?"

"It's my finger. Does it hurt?" Doumeki asked.

"N…No."

It did not hurt, not really, it just felt _huge_ inside of him. Watanuki felt totally, almost uncomfortably, full. His body was tight and twitching around the invasion and he felt completely vulnerable in a way he never had before. Oh god, it was only his _finger_. Watanuki felt suddenly very lightheaded at the thought.

"Relax…" Doumeki whispered again as he started moving his finger in a gentle circle around the opening.

By Kami, Watanuki's body felt so hot and tight, the velvet of his inner walls quivering against Doumeki's hand. The feeling was ecstasy, pleasurable in its own right, and Doumeki ached to experience it completely. The seer's tense body slowly began to relax as Doumeki continued his stroking.

Despite the total weirdness of the sensation, Watanuki could not deny that it felt good…stimulating. Doumeki reached around to stroke his cock in time with the finger behind and a deep heat began working its way into Watanuki's groin once again. Being petted and stroked so intimately was not so bad, in fact it felt deliciously warm and erotic. Yet the petting did not seem to merely be touching his body, in his mind Watanuki felt himself begin to open. Something deep in his brain, or his soul, began to expand and even greater awareness filled him.

Doumeki added another finger, which made Watanuki whimper. His body was relaxing, but the second digit still stretched him and sent a stinging visceral ache through his body. The tight, intimate pain eased as the archer continued his stroking, scissoring his fingers against the virgin muscles. Watanuki relaxed against the strange massage just as Doumeki's fingers brushed something deep within him that made searing jets of erotic pleasure blaze up his spine.

"Ah…" Doumeki whispered, obviously pleased with himself.

"S…s….shit!" Watanuki bit through gritted teeth.

The seer arched, trembling with the force of the ecstasy as it resonated through his body like a high note on a harp. Finding the tender bundle of nerves once again, Doumeki curled his fingers and pressed, sending Watanuki practically to the brink of orgasm. All thoughts of his much damaged dignity burned from his brain, the seer moaned and quivered and clawed at the bedding as Doumeki pressed against his prostate with each thrust of his fingers. The seer was hard again, practically at the brink.

Doumeki smoothed the gel over himself, adding another generous amount to Watanuki as he gritted his teeth and tried for control. He had to go slow. Anything else would be tremendously painful and he could only keep the ghost watcher distracted for so long. With a deep breath and his heart pounding in his ears like a war drum, Doumeki slowly began to push himself inside.

Pain, deep and intimate, surged through Watanuki's body masked by the tingling pleasure. His body stretched to its maximum and stretched beyond. The deep visceral twinge he had felt before returned as a throbbing, inescapable ache. The seer might have screamed or he might have whispered, there was no way for him to know. Blood dripped onto his hands from the lip he had bitten. He had never even felt the sting of his own teeth, the pain of Doumeki's invasion eclipsing it completely. Watanuki felt dizzy as cold sweat glistened on his skin. Doumeki was rubbing his back, and he had forgotten to breathe and the only thing making it bearable were the endorphins still singing through his blood.

"Uhhhh….Tight…God…" Doumeki panted.

Doumeki trembled, forcing himself into stillness. The feeling of the seer's body so tight around him, the pale beauty of Watanuki's heaving shoulders, the movement of the seer's sleek muscles….Oh kami! The instinctual urge to move rocked him like a wave, but he wouldn't, not yet. The seer was barely handling the breach as it was…. Watanuki was hot inside, so much hotter than he ever would have imagined, and tight and gorgeous. He had imagined this moment so many times, too ashamed to ever examine the idea too thoroughly, but it was nothing like he had expected. The pleasure was so fierce it was practically agony and each little twitch of Watanuki's body almost sent him over the edge.

As the seer's breathing became more even, Doumeki began to move. His thrusts were slow, the friction of Watanuki's entrance making him quiver with pleasure and moan low, and deep in his throat. The seer began to relax, his strained muscles loosening, as Doumeki thrust into him. They moved, rocking awkwardly, finding a rhythm. Doumeki thrust against that place deep within and a feral snarl of deep pleasure answered him as he groaned from the sensation. Watanuki, pain forgotten, moved against him wantonly.

The shaman's primal urges moved through him uninhibited, the instincts taking over, and nothing mattered except harsh, animal _satisfaction_. Doumeki thrust into him, his previous control gone, pounding against Watanuki's nerves, holding Watanuki down as the youth snarled and moaned beneath him with every thrust. The seer panted, flexing his body against the archer as the strange opening in his mind grew and clarified. It was happening, the tightness was building behind his balls once again. Doumeki's movements became almost frenzied as they clashed against each other. The archer's hand was in his hair, forcing his submission once again, and with it came incredible mental _release_. Watanuki was _not _in control, _not_ in control of anything, but Doumeki was and the freedom felt amazing. It was freedom to let the deeper side of his totem take hold so that he could…so that he could… The urge was strong, and building every moment. The desire, the _need_, to open further was overwhelming anything else. Watanuki trembled, confused. He was not sure what it was he even needed to do. Douemki's teeth were against his flesh, sinking deeply into the junction between his neck and shoulder. He purred in submission, reveling in the hot pain and powerless to stop it. The archer was marking him, claiming him as his own. Doumeki snarled against the flesh in his mouth, thrusts deep and strong. Watanuki was rocked with the pleasure, with the strange clarity in his spirit. They moved together, in perfect concert, thrust for thrust, moaning and growling to pacify or demand. As Doumeki moved hard one last time to spill molten fluid through Watanuki's body, the seer saw for the first time. Edges, shadows, places everywhere…he came hard into Douemi's hand as the solid world fractured around him.


End file.
